LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


STUDIES  IN  THE  LYRIC  POEMS 

OF 

FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 


STUDIES  IN  THE  LYRIC  POEMS 


OF 


FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 


THE    SENSUOUS    IN    HEBBEL'S 
LYRIC    POETRY 


By 

ALBERT  GUBELMANN,    Ph.D. 

Assistant  Professor  of  German  in  Yale  College 


NEW  HAVEN:  YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON  :  HENRY  FROWDE 

OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

MCMXII 


COPYRIGHT,  1918 

BY 
YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 


Printed  from  type,  400  copies,  November,  1912 


TO  THE  MEMORY 
OF  MY  WIFE 


FOREWORD 

The  scope,  purpose  and  method  of  these  "Studies"  are 
discussed  at  some  length  in  the  introductory  chapter. 
The  attempt  is  also  there  made  to  justify  our  investi- 
gation of  the  sensuous  element  in  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry. 
This  justification  is  here  stated  in  brief,  so  that  the  nature 
of  our  "Studies"  may  be  fairly  understood  at  the  outset. 

One  may  well  look  with  suspicion  upon  criticism  that 
avowedly  confines  itself  to  the  material  side  of  poetic 
invention.  As  related  to  the  poetic  art,  such  criticism  is 
a  species  of  vivisection ;  the  successive  steps  are  so  many 
incisions  into  vital  tissue  that  has  been  mechanically 
disengaged  from  the  organism.  As  related  to  the  com- 
pleted art  work,  such  criticism  is  a  kind  of  autopsy.  The 
part  under  examination  is  dead.  It  cannot  live  separated 
from  the  vital  creation  of  which  it  formed  a  part.  And 
so  there  is  a  strong  feeling  that  investigation  of  mental 
phenomena  should  be  something  more  than  mere  isolation 
of  constituent  parts  of  such  phenomena  to  their  mutual 
destruction.  We  expect  the  systematic  psychologist  to 
distinguish  the  mind's  various  functions  and  in  addition 
to  reveal  the  fine  interfusion,  the  subtle  interplay  of  these 
functions  in  human  consciousness.  Similarly  we  wish 
the  literary  critic  to  lay  bare  the  distinct  elements  that 
have  entered  into  a  work  and  also  to  show  the  perfect 
co-ordination  of  these  elements  in  an  organic  whole.  In 
his  drama  Sappho,  Grillparzer  makes  the  poetess  thank 
the  Gods  for  conferring  upon  her 

"der  Dichtung  vollen  Kocher : — 
Ein  Herz  zu  fiihlen,  einen  Geist  zu  denken, 
Und  Kraft  zu  bilden,  was  ich  mir  gedacht." 


viii  FOREWORD 

The  presence  of  this  trinitarian  potential,  this  fuhlen, 
denken,  bilden,  in  right  proportion,  stamps  the  work  of 
one  poet  as  great;  whereas  deficiency  or  imperfect  pro- 
portion in  this  potential  consigns  the  work  of  another 
poet  to  lower  rank.  Criticism  should  establish  the  pres- 
ence or  absence  of  this  potential  if  it  would  undertake 
fully  to  estimate  a  poet's  work.  The  study  of  a  poet's 
sensuousness  alone  cannot  fully  meet  this  requirement. 

The  defense  of  our  procedure  must  rest,  first,  upon 
our  conviction  that  an  important  analogy  subsists  between 
the  responses  awakened  by  a  poem  and  those  aroused  by 
a  landscape,  scene  or  event,  created  by  fancy  or  repro- 
duced through  memory.  Poem,  fancy,  memory,  alike 
operate  faculties  through  which  we  become  conscious  of 
various  classes  of  psychic  effects.  Since  all  these  classes 
of  effects  cannot  engage  our  close  attention  at  one  and 
the  same  time,  there  are  always  some  that  must  go 
unheeded.  Either  emotions  will  absorb  us  to  the  momen- 
tary exclusion  of  definite  images ;  or  the  power  of  a  pro- 
found truth  will  be  ascendant  for  the  moment  over 
emotion  and  image.  Or  again  the  images  may  be  of 
such  fascinating  beauty  in  themselves  that  they  divert 
us  from  the  passion  to  be  aroused  or  the  truth  to  be 
conveyed.  One  thing  is  noticeable  in  all  the  classes  of 
influence  that  deeply  affect  our  consciousness,  namely 
the  important  part  played  therein  by  objective  impres- 
sions. Recollections,  reveries,  fancies,  tend  to  sharpness 
and  warmth  when  they  are  built  up  of  palpable,  sensuous 
material.  Similarly  our  responses  to  poetic  stimulation 
are  spirited  when  they  draw  largely  upon  objective  data, 
upon  bodily  sensations  reproduced  in  idea.  And  so  all 
poets  are  characterized,  in  varying  degree,  by  suscepti- 
bility to  impressions  of  sense ;  and  all  poets  employ  such 
impressions,  in  varying  degree,  as  the  most  natural  and 


FOREWORD  ix 

effective  vehicle  for  their  concepts.  Even  a  poet  like 
Hebbel,  whose  distinction  consists  in  his  passion  for  the 
inscrutable  mysteries  of  human  life  and  of  cosmic  evolu- 
tion, may  be  charmed  and  stimulated  by  various  kinds 
of  bodily  sensation.  We  have  Hebbel's  own  word  for  it 
that  such  sensations  affected  his  inner  life  to  an  extraor- 
dinary degree.  His  diaries  and  lyric  poems  supply  sub- 
stantial evidence  that  colors  and  sounds,  the  various 
sensory  qualities,  singly  or  in  intricate  combination, 
served  him  as  an  inexhaustible  font  of  spiritual  profit 
no  less  than  of  aesthetic  delight.  But  the  profound  spirit- 
uality of  Hebbel's  poems  so  dominates  our  attention  that 
their  sensuous  opulence  is  bound  to  be  overlooked.  There 
would  seem  to  be  justification,  therefore,  for  a  work 
devoted  expressly  to  the  appreciation  and  appraisal  of 
these  neglected  riches. 

The  subject  and  object  of  our  work  has  been  permitted 
to  determine  the  method  employed.  That  method  pur- 
posely departs  from  the  historical-critical  procedure, 
which  has  such  eminent  exponents  abroad  and  here  at 
home.  Rightly  or  wrongly,  we  have  practically  ignored 
the  historical  factor,  which  is  always  involved  in  the 
conception  and  production  of  art  works.  We  have  paid 
little  heed  to  the  matter  of  literary  analogies,  to  the 
influence  of  tradition,  of  intellectual  associations,  of  uni- 
versal philosophic  or  aesthetic  theories.  We  have  con- 
fined ourselves  consistently  to  the  essential  phenomenon 
under  discussion,  without  trying  to  disengage  the  various 
strata  in  the  evolution  of  that  phenomenon.  In  place  of 
the  traditional  coalition  with  historical  science,  our 
method  enters  into  more  direct  alliance  with  psychological 
science.  And  so  we  pass  over  the  historical  aspect  of 
Naturgefiihl,  with  which  our  theme  is  generically  con- 
nected, whereas  we  deal  at  some  length  with  the  charac- 


x  FOREWORD 

ter,  constitution  and  aesthetic  qualifications  of  the  various 
sensory  media. 

In  how  far  this  method  is  justifiable  must  remain  an 
open  question.  There  is  a  natural  reverence  for  the  sub- 
stantial historical-critical  method,  with  its  thorough- 
going search  into  the  intellectual  ancestry  of  poetic 
monuments,  into  the  spiritual  forces  that  have  left  their 
impress  there,  into  the  various  mental  and  material  con- 
ditions under  which  the  monuments  came  into  being. 
Any  departure  from  this  approved  method  cannot  hope 
for  warm  commendation.  Yet,  after  all,  there  may  be 
a  certain  vigor  and  suggestion  in  a  pragmatic  impres- 
sionistic method,  which  will  compensate  in  a  measure 
for  deficiencies  in  formality  and  depth.  The  instanta- 
neous appeal  of  impressionism  may  be  admitted  with  all 
due  respect  to  the  more  perfect  modelling,  the  superior 
mastery  of  detail  and  the  broader  conception  of  tradi- 
tional art.  If  the  scope  and  purpose  of  these  "Studies" 
have  any  merit,  they  have  doubtless  been  little  harmed 
by  our  method. 

In  conclusion,  I  am  happy  to  express  my  acknowl- 
edgments of  the  personal  assistance  so  generously  ren- 
dered in  the  preparation  of  this  little  work.  I  am  under 
great  obligation  to  Prof.  Arthur  H.  Palmer  of  Yale  for 
advice  and  suggestion,  as  well  as  for  his  painstaking 
revision  of  both  the  manuscript  and  the  printer's  proofs. 
My  thanks  are  further  due  to  Prof.  Gustav  Gruener  of 
Yale  for  certain  points  of  importance  incorporated  in  the 
book.  Prof.  Roswell  P.  Angier  of  the  Yale  Psychological 
Department  has  given  me  the  benefit  of  his  stimulating 
criticism  on  psychological  matters  involved  in  the  inves- 
tigation. To  Prof.  Axel  E.  Vestling  of  Carleton  College, 
and  to  Rev.  Otto  Koenig  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  I  am 
greatly  indebted  for  assistance  in  the  preparation  of  the 


FOREWORD  xi 

manuscript  for  the  press.  Mr.  George  Parmly  Day  and 
Mr.  Byrne  Hackett  of  the  Yale  University  Press  have 
given  great  encouragement  by  their  sympathetic  interest 
in  the  publication  of  the  "Studies." 

It  surely  cannot  be  unfitting  to  speak  here  in  deepest 
sorrow  of  the  one  by  whom  this  work  was  inspired,  with 
whose  loyal  assistance  much  of  it  was  written  and  to 
whose  memory  it  is  dedicated  in  devotion  and  gratitude. 

ALBERT  GUBELMANN. 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  October  17,  1912. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I.    INTRODUCTORY 

Prevailing  estimate  of  Hebbel's  poetic  genius.  The  changeable 
fate  of  Hebbel's  fame.  Hebbel's  treatment  by  the  older  histo- 
rians of  German  literature.  Sympathetic  appreciation  of  Hebbel 
in  the  later  histories.  Recent  special  investigations  of  Hebbel's 
personality  and  work.  Editions  of  his  works.  Hebbel  biogra- 
phies. Causes  of  the  renewed  interest  in  Hebbel.  Resentment 
of  former  biassed  estimates.  Change  in  the  method  and  view- 
point of  literary  critics  and  historians.  Publication  of  Hebbel's 
diaries.  The  diaries  indispensable  to  the  just  appreciation  of 
Hebbel  as  a  man  and  an  artist.  The  trend  of  recent  Hebbel  study. 
The  undeserved  neglect  of  Hebbel's  lyric  poems.  The  scope  and 
purpose  of  the  following  "Studies."  General  and  specific  results 
of  these  "Studies."  Profundity  of  Hebbel's  lyrics.  Hebbel's  in- 
debtedness to  Schiller,  Uhland,  Tieck,  Hoffmann,  von  Kleist. 
The  pronounced  sensuousness  of  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry.  His 
"orientalism."  His  sensitivity  to  the  elemental  and  sym- 
bolic properties  of  sound.  His  poetic  employment  of  silence. 
Taste,  smell,  and  impressions  of  form  in  Hebbel's  songs.  The 
prominence  of  tactual  allusions  in  the  songs.  Other  features 
of  the  subject  still  to  be  investigated.  The  historical  aspect  of 
Hebbel's  sensuousness.  The  necessity  of  emphasizing  Hebbel's 
objectivity.  Two  meanings  of  the  term  poetry.  The  part  of  the 
sense  qualities  in  aesthetic  enjoyment.  The  nature  of  poetry. 
The  intellectual  element  in  great  poetry.  The  main  purpose  of 
poetry.  Objectivity  and  subjectivity.  The  spiritual  correlates 
of  sensuous  reality.  A  note  on  the  terminology  used  in  the 
"Studies." 

CHAPTER  II.    OUTLINE  OF  HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY 

Hebbel's  aesthetic  theory  epitomized.  Relation  of  poetic  in- 
tuition to  cosmic  creation.  Relation  of  art  to  philosophy  and 
religion.  Hebbel's  dualistic  Weltanschauung.  The  adjustment 
of  individual  to  universal  in  the  cosmic  scheme.  Inner  form. 
Dualistic  principle  of  the  universe  as  presented  in  human  expe- 
rience. Hebbel's  conception  of  tragic  guilt.  Human  destiny 


xiv  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

conceived  as  Entindividualisierung.  Poetic  inspiration  and  the 
eternal  Idee.  Hebbel's  critical  formulae.  The  two  prerequisites 
of  great  poetry.  Hebbel's  criticism  of  the  Musenalmanach  for 
1837,  of  Ruckert,  of  Heine,  of  Kleist's  Kdthchen  von  Heilbronn. 
His  hostility  to  metaphysical  speculation  in  poetry.  Exteriority 
the  essence  of  Darstellung.  Hebbel's  criticism  of  Laube,  of 
Uhland's  Herzog  Ernst,  of  Goethe's  Wahlverwandtschaften. 
Interfusion  of  the  corporeal  and  the  spiritual  necessary  in  poetry. 
Hebbel's  criticism  of  Schiller,  of  Victor  Hugo,  of  French  classi- 
cism and  romanticism.  The  originality  of  Hebbel's  creations. 
Their  essential  independence  of  Schelling,  Solger,  Hegel  and 
Schopenhauer.  The  supreme  element  of  art  work.  The  unique 
feature  of  Hebbel's  poetry.  The  nature  of  form.  The  incommu- 
nicable and  the  mysterious  in  Hebbel's  poetry.  Hebbel's  defense 
of  the  supernatural  in  his  poems  and  plays.  The  mysterious 
nature  of  the  poetic  faculty  itself.  Hebbel's  introspective  analy- 
sis of  poetic  genius.  The  ego-problem.  The  identity  of  Dichten 
and  Trdumen.  The  union  of  self  and  non-self  during  poetic 
creation.  Psychologists'  explanation  of  this  phenomenon.  Art's 
rank  in  the  scale  of  psychic  activities.  Five  orders  of  aesthetic 
theory.  The  relation  of  Hebbel's  theory  to  the  Esthetic  of  Bene- 
detto Croce,  of  Hegel.  Attempts  to  relate  the  poetic  to  the  other 
psychic  powers.  Hebbel's  dictum.  Hebbel's  conception  of  lyric 
poetry.  The  marked  dominance  of  the  plenary  sense  in  great 
lyric  poetry.  Emotion  the  traditional  prerequisite.  Hebbel's 
definition  of  lyric  emotion.  The  range  of  emotions  expressed  in 
his  songs.  "Gemut."  Concreteness.  Hebbel's  attitude  toward 
physical  environment.  His  susceptibility  to  sensuous  beauty. 
The  prominence  of  the  objective  in  his  conception  of  conscious 
experience.  Images  from  external  nature  as  complements  of 
internal  states.  The  plenary  sense  of  things  mediated  through 
sensuous  imagery.  Prominence  of  sense  qualities  in  Hebbel's 
poetic  message.  His  reverence  for  the  sensuous  beauty  and 
power  of  language.  Intensive  study  of  Hebbel's  sensuous  diction 
indispensable. 

CHAPTER  III.    COLORS 

The  prominence  of  colors  among  objective  impressions.  The 
relative  aesthetic  fitness  of  the  several  kinds  of  sensory  impres- 
sions. Visual  and  auditory  sensations  especially  suited  to  the 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xv 

needs  of  art.  The  eye  and  the  ear  as  distance  receptors.  The 
ethereal  quality  of  colors  and  tones.  The  definiteness  of  the 
higher  sense  impressions.  The  higher  senses  as  Sprachsinne. 
The  ethnological  diffusion  and  age  of  color  perception  and  color 
appreciation.  The  early  teleological  function  of  colors.  The 
growth  of  man's  color  vocabulary.  Color  terminology  of  the 
Homeric  Bards,  of  the  Hebrew  Chroniclers.  The  highly  per- 
fected color  vocabulary  of  modern  English  poets.  (Shelley, 
Keats,  Tennyson,  Swinburne.)  Lessing's  imperfect  color  appre- 
ciation. Color  opulence  in  the  diction  of  Voss,  Goethe,  Schiller, 
Uhland.  The  increasing  prominence  of  color  impressions  as 
poetic  medium  in  current  German  writers  (Sudermann,  Haupt- 
mann's  Hanneles  Himmelfahrt  and  Die  Versunkene  Glocke,  E. 
von  Keyserling's  Dumala).  The  importance  of  the  color  sense 
on  its  linguistic  side.  The  numerical  preponderance  of  color 
terms  among  Hebbel's  sensuous  symbols.  Hebbel's  naive,  child- 
like delight  in  colors.  The  uniform  persistency  of  colors  in 
Hebbel's  lyrics.  His  frequent  resort  to  terms  expressing  bril- 
liancy and  luminosity.  Grant  Allen's  study  of  the  color  terms 
in  Swinburne's  Poems  and  Ballads.  Swinburne's  color  allusions 
compared  with  Hebbel's.  Fondness  for  color  is-  characteristic 
alike  of  the  earlier  and  the  later  stages  of  Hebbel's  poetic  pro- 
ductivity. Quantitative  analysis  of  Hebbel's  colors.  Color  allu- 
sions in  descriptions  of  nature.  Artistic  rigor  in  the  employ- 
ment of  colors  in  landscape.  Expression  of  the  emotional  and 
of  the  plenary  sense  of  things  through  colors.  Colors  in  the 
description  of  animals.  In  personal  descriptions.  Influence  of 
rhyme.  The  supersensuous  element  in  nature's  sights  and  sounds. 
Colors  in  descriptions  of  inanimate  objects.  Hebbel's  color- 
clusters.  Occasional  unstinted  surrender  to  color  enjoyment. 
Hebbel's  sane  color  sense.  Color-contrasts.  The  subjective  ele- 
ment in  Hebbel's  color  usage.  The  spiritual  correlates  of  lights 
and  sounds.  The  more  humble  office  of  colors.  Colors  employed 
to  secure  dramatic  setting.  The  mannerism  of  Hebbel's  earlier 
use  of  color  for  dramatic  setting.  The  spectacular  colors  of 
Rosa.  The  subdued  color  effects  of  Schon  Hedwig.  Summary 
of  discussion  of  color.  Concrete  survey  of  Hebbel's  color  terms. 
Concrete  and  metaphorical  employment  of  colors.  Colors  in  ex- 
tended metaphors.  Predominance  of  the  sensuous  and  the  con- 
crete. Classified  allusions  to  colors  proper  (red;  gold;  blue; 
green ;  white ;  black ;  gray ;  purple ;  brown ;  pink ;  silver ;  yellow ; 


xvi  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

/o/fr).  Table  of  colors.  Classified  allusions  to  light,  fire,  flame, 
etc  (Glut;  Licht;  Glanz;  Flamme,  flimm-,  etc.;  Strahl,  strahl-, 
etc. ;  Schein,  schein-,  etc. ;  Funke,  f  unkel-,  etc. ;  Feuer ;  blink-,  etc. ; 
brenn-,  etc.;  Schimmer,  schimmer-,  glimm-,  etc.;  prangen.) 
Table  of  light,  fire,  flame,  etc.  Classified  allusions  to  general 
terms  associated  with  color  and  light  (finster;  duster;  dunkel; 
dammer-,  etc.;  trtib;  Schatten,  schatten-,  etc.;  blass;  bleich; 
blank;  hell;  bunt;  klar;  blond;  rein;  frisch;  Farbe).  Table  of 
general  terms  associated  with  color  and  light.  Unclassified  allu- 
sions. Table  of  unclassified  allusions. 

CHAPTER  IV.    SOUNDS 

Poetry's  relations  with  physical  sound.  Hebbel's  appreciation 
of  verbal  sound  effects  in  poetry.  The  inner  music  of  poetry. 
Shelley's  conception  of  the  relation  of  sounds  to  thought  in 
human  speech.  Inner  elaboration  of  the  gross  tone  material. 
The  motor  effects  of  audible  sound.  Onomatopoeia.  Rhyme. 
Rhythm.  Classification  of  sounds.  The  equipment  of  language 
for  designating  the  various  nature  sounds.  Lack  of  variety  in 
Hebbel's  sounds.  Reasons  for  this.  Excellence  of  Hebbel's 
sound  allusions.  The  intensity  of  his  sound  impressions.  Fre- 
quency of  sound  description  in  his  diaries.  Liberal  employment 
of  sound  effects  and  their  psychic  associations  in  his  lyrics. 
Sounds  employed  as  Stimmungsmittel.  Intimate  association  be- 
tween nature  sounds  and  human  emotions.  Methods  of  employ- 
ing nature  sounds  in  poetry.  Sounds  used  to  intensify  soul 
experience.  Sound-symbolism.  Sounds  employed  as  an  adjunct 
of  dramatic  setting.  Mannerism  in  Hebbel's  dramatic  employ- 
ment of  sounds.  Three  factors  in  poetic  recourse  to  sound. 
Kinds  of  sounds  in  Hebbel's  songs.  Natural  sounds  (wind  and 
storm;  sea  and  stream;  woods,  foliage,  flowers,  etc.).  The 
human  voice.  Hebbel's  tribute  to  human  speech.  Importance 
of  the  human  voice  for  the  expression  of  emotion.  Reproduc- 
tion of  vocal  sounds  as  an  aid  to  soul  portrayal  in  Hebbel's 
songs.  Sensuousness  of  such  reproduction.  Introduction  of 
vocal  terms  with  but  slight  sensuous  suggestion.  Classified  list 
of  allusions  to  human  vocal  sounds  in  the  songs.  Allusions  to 
sounds  made  by  animals  (bird,  dog,  horse).  Sounds  produced 
by  musical  instruments  (bells,  violin,  harp,  horn,  etc.).  Hebbel's 
realistic  introduction  of  musical  sounds.  Sounds  produced  by 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  xvii 

instruments  other  than  musical  (musketry,  hammer,  saw,  sickle, 
threshing-flail).  Sounds  from  miscellaneous  sources  (knocking, 
tapping,  creaking,  pounding  of  heart,  throbbing  of  temples,  noise 
of  feet  or  of  hoofs).  Effectiveness  of  such  sounds  in  descrip- 
tion. Sounds  raised  to  the  dignity  of  divine  symbols.  Hebbel's 
sounds  compared  with  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann's.  The  honorable 
artifice  in  Hebbel's  employment  of  sounds. 

CHAPTER  V.    SILENCE  AND  SOLITUDE 

Prominence  of  the  non-material  in  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry.  Si- 
lence as  a  medium  of  conscious  communication.  Limited  range 
of  terms  referring  to  silence.  References  to  silence  most  fre- 
quent in  description.  Introduction  of  silence  generally  accom- 
panied by  suspension  of  action.  Silence  as  a  medium  of 
contrast.  Sounds  introduced  to  accentuate  silence.  Silence  as 
Stimmungsmittel.  Hebbel's  beautiful  conception  of  silence. 
Silence  in  pictures  of  nature.  Silence  employed  to  emphasize  the 
dominant  character  of  landscape.  The  silence  suggested  by  a 
combination  of  various  sense  impressions.  The  silence  of  night. 
Hebbel's  love  of  silent  evening  and  nightfall.  Frequent  allusion 
to  such  impressions  in  the  songs.  Night  and  solitude  as  dramatic 
setting.  Revelations  of  the  cosmic  life  attended  by  silence. 
Mannerism  in  Hebbel's  employment  of  silence.  Silence  in  de- 
scriptions of  the  inanimate  world.  The  dreary  aspect  of  silent 
things.  Tender  associations  awakened  by  silent  objects.  Silence 
in  personal  descriptions.  Hebbel  charmed  by  vague  creatures 
of  dream,  and  by  hushed  and  silent  figures  in  real  life.  His  silent 
or  low-voiced  maidens.  Heredity  and  environment  as  explana- 
tory of  Hebbel's  poetic  use  of  silence.  Silence  in  the  tales  of 
E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann  and  of  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  Their  points  of 
resemblance  to  Hebbel.  His  double  nature  as  revealed  by  the 
diaries.  Two  types  of  persons  portrayed  in  his  poems.  The 
silence  of*  his  characters  as  index  of  their  momentary  mood. 
Varied  and  intricate  forms  of  emotion  portrayed  through  silence. 
Silence  as  a  concomitant  of  the  tender  emotions.  Miscellaneous 
mental  states  accompanied  by  silence.  Silence  as  the  concomitant 
of  aesthetic  emotion.  Hebbel's  allusions  to  silence  not  confined 
to  portrayal  of  persons.  Silence  and  solitude  not  used  as  media 
for  pessimistic  ideas.  The  individual  stamp  of  Hebbel's  poetic 
media. 


xviii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI.    THE  TACTUAL  SENSE 

The  fitness  of  tactual  qualities  for  the  purposes  of  art.  Her- 
der's defense  of  touch.  Difficulty  of  analyzing  the  tactual  sense. 
The  diversity  of  feeling-sensations.  Prominence  of  the  nerves 
of  the  skin  in  receiving  tactual  impressions.  Suitability  of  the 
term  Cutaneous  Sense.  Various  sources  of  cutaneous  sensations. 
Three  main  classes  of  feeling-impressions.  1.  Cutaneous  sensa- 
tions proper.  2.  Kinaesthetic  or  motor  sensations.  3.  Organic 
sensations.  A  twofold  classification  more  practical.  Three 
groups  of  tactual  allusions  in  Hebbel's  songs.  Explanation  of 
this  threefold  grouping.  Relation  of  bodily  pleasure  or  pain  to 
the  tactual  properties.  Distribution  of  Hebbel's  tactual  allusions 
among  the  three  groups.  Illustrative  table  of  tactual  allusions. 
Metaphorical  employment  of  terms  for  tactual  sensations.  Blend- 
ing of  tactual  impressions  with  those  of  light  and  color,  of 
sound,  etc.  Tactual  sensations  in  description  of  physical  nature. 
Allusions  to  weather  and  atmosphere  in  Hebbel's  diaries.  Allu- 
sions to  heat,  cold,  etc.,  in  the  lyrics.  Hebbel's  atmospheric  con- 
trasts. Poetic  quality  of  his  allusions  to  atmosphere.  Acuteness 
of  his  tactile  sensibilities.  Atmospheric  allusions  indicative  of 
the  common  human  element  in  Hebbel's  poetry.  Atmospheric 
conditions  as  impulse  to  poetic  production.  Tactual  impressions 
associated  with  specific  aspects  of  scenery.  Dermal  sensations 
in  description  of  flowers,  foliage,  etc.  Tactual  allusions  in  Heb- 
bel's description  of  persons.  Capacity  of  tactual  symbols  for 
subtle  suggestion.  Employment  of  tactual  contrasts.  Refer- 
ences to  bodily  temperature.  Bodily  temperature  as  a  concomitant 
of  emotion.  Terms  of  bodily  temperature  as  symbols  of  emo- 
tional states.  How  far  are  such  symbols  metaphors?  Their 
employment  in  Hebbel's  poetry.  Tactual  terms  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  inanimate  objects.  Effective  employment  of  tactual  sym- 
bols in  Hebbel's  poem  Der  Mensch. 


STUDIES  IN  THE  LYRIC  POEMS 

OF 

FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 


CHAPTER  I 
INTRODUCTORY 

Among  cultured  peoples  of  German  blood  everywhere 
admiration  for  Christian  Friedrich  Hebbel  has  been 
steadily  increasing,  intensively  if  not  extensively.  Within 
a  restricted  group  of  readers  the  conviction  appears  set- 
tled that  next  to  Goethe  no  other  dramatic  poet  has  con- 
tributed to  the  literature  of  Germany  works  of  such  depth 
and  power  as  Hebbel's.  There  are  on  the  other  hand 
cultivated  circles  that  cannot  or  will  not  concede  to  Heb- 
bel any  high  order  of  poetic  genius.  The  number  is  con- 
siderable of  those  who  frankly  regard  the  praise  accorded 
him  by  enthusiastic  admirers  as  largely  unearned.  Not 
a  few  readers  of  discernment  fail  to  find  in  Hebbel  any- 
thing to  compare  with  Kleist's  romantic  shimmer  and 
passionate  spontaneity.  Others  again  do  not  see  what 
Hebbel's  somber  muse  has  given  the  world  to  match 
Grillparzer's  plastic  splendor  and  faultless  diction.  And 
yet  the  opinion  bids  fair  to  prevail  that  Hebbel  will  take 
permanent  rank  as  more  than  peer  of  both  Kleist  and 
Grillparzer;  that  his  best  achievement  bears  the  stamp 
of  profound  inner  form  from  which  Kleist's  untimely 
death  cut  him  off;  and  that  Hebbel's  soul-world  throbs 
with  cosmic  life  more  virile  than  any  revealed  in  Grill- 
parzer's noblest  creations. 

A  singularly  changeable  fate  has  attended  Hebbel's 
fame.  From  the  appearance  of  his  first  really  significant 
work  he  has  not  lacked  admirers,  even  idolatrous  wor- 
shippers. His  close  friends  and  later  biographers,  Emil 


2  STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Kuh  and  Felix  Bamberg,  were  quite  aware  that  Hebbel's 
appearance  marked  a  turning  point  in  modern  dramatic 
art.  Yet  his  fame  was  during  his  lifetime  and  has  ever 
since  been  essentially  esoteric.  The  great  vogue  that  he 
enjoyed  for  a  time  was  due  in  part  to  his  frank  treatment 
of  dangerous  themes.  His  moral  independence  rather 
than  his  spiritual  fervor  first  gained  for  him  popular 
hearing.  When  the  interest  in  his  unconventional  candor 
subsided,  Hebbel's  name  remained  sacred  only  to  a  small 
company  of  serious  minds  that  had  not  lost  their  com- 
posure during  the  general  excitement,  and  that  still  truly 
discerned  now  that  the  glamour  was  gone. 

During  a  portion  of  the  last  century  Hebbel's  name 
and  significance  were  well-nigh  forgotten.  The  accidents 
of  time  were  a  factor  in  this  partial  eclipse.  Circum- 
stances unimportant  in  themselves  conspired  virtually  to 
efface  Hebbel  in  the  consciousness  of  his  own  day  and  to 
obscure  his  figure  in  the  recollection  of  succeeding  gen- 
erations. He  was  born  in  1813,  so  that  his  representative 
works  appeared  too  late  to  come  within  the  scope  of  the 
older  household  histories  of  German  literature.  Because 
of  the  time  limits  observed,  Kiirschner's  monumental 
anthology  has  none  of  Hebbel's  productions.  Karl 
Borinski's  history  of  German  literature,  which  accom- 
panies Kiirschner,  refers  only  to  the  "pathologische 
Kraftphantasie  des  Dramatikers  Friedrich  Hebbel." 
Goedeke's  Grundriss,  again,  does  not  extend  over  a 
period  sufficiently  late  to  permit  inclusion  of  Hebbel  data, 
and  this  circumstance  in  combination  with  others  may 
have  had  some  connection  with  the  discontinuance  of 
Hebbel's  vogue  among  scholars.  Likewise  owing  to  the 
limits  of  the  periods  covered,  there  is  no  discussion  of 
Hebbel's  work  in  such  staple  authorities  as  Gervinus 
(5  ed.  1874),  Koberstein  (5  ed.  1873)  or  Vilmar  (16  ed. 


INTRODUCTION  3 

1874).  The  wonder  is,  however,  that  these  last  men- 
tioned books  should  contain  no  passing  allusion  to  Hebbel 
by  way  of  illustration  or  comment.  Scherer's  History  of 
German  Literature  (8  ed.  1899)  has  at  least  one  illustra- 
tive allusion  of  this  kind;  in  disposing  of  the  dramatist 
Grabbe,  Scherer  pronounces  him  of  interest  simply  as  a 
preparation  for  Hebbel.1  Among  older  histories  of 
German  literary  art,  Hillebrand's  (1875),  Wackernagel's 
(2  ed.  1894)  and  Kurz's  (5  ed.  1894)  are  the  first  to 
devote  space  to  our  poet.  Then  he  gradually  receives 
more  consideration  from  scholars.  The  works  of  Vogt 
and  Koch  (1897),  Robertson  (1902),  Engel  (1907), 
Thomas  (1909),  A.  Biese,  vol.  Ill  (1911),  are  alike  in 
their  candid  attitude  toward  the  unduly  slighted  Hebbel. 
In  histories  that  deal  at  length  with  German  literature  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  such  as  Julian  Schmidt's  (1853), 
Meyer's  (2  ed.  1900),  Bartels',  vol.  II  (1902),  Coar's 
(1903),  and  Kummer's  (1909),  Hebbel's  art  and  per- 
sonality are  made  the  subject  of  extended  treatment.  In 
addition  to  all  this  there  have  appeared  within  recent 
years  numerous  articles  and  theses  dealing  with  specific 
phases  of  Hebbel's  genius, — minute  treatises  on  his 
Weltanschauung  and  his  aesthetic  doctrines.  Exhaustive 
labor  has  been  expended  upon  significant  periods  of  his 
development  as  well  as  upon  the  genesis  and  interpreta- 
tion of  individual  plays.2  Trustworthy  editions  of  Heb- 
bel's works  have  not  been  lacking,  the  one  edited  by 
Richard  Maria  Werner  easily  taking  first  place  by  reason 


1  Scherer,  Geschichte  d.  deut.  Lit.    (8  ed.   1899),  Anmer- 
kungen,  S.  788. 

2  The  list  of  these  investigations  is  too  long  to  be  entered 
here.     Special  mention  is  due  the  articles,  reviews,  etc.,  by  H. 
Krumm,  R.  M.  Werner,  and  F.  Bamberg.     Specific  reference  is 
made  below  to  publications  by  Arno  Scheunert,  Alfred  Neumann, 
A.  M.  Wagner,  and  others  in  so  far  as  they  bear  upon  our  in- 
vestigation. 


4  STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

of  completeness  and  painstaking  accuracy.3  There  are 
at  present  several  creditable  biographies  of  Hebbel  of 
recent  date,  not  to  mention  the  older  minute  biography 
in  two  volumes  by  Emil  Kuh,  and  Bamberg's  capital 
biographical  sketch  in  the  Allgemeine  Deutsche  Biogra- 
phie.  Among  recent  Hebbel  biographers  Werner  again 
merits  distinction  by  reason  of  his  discernment,  sym- 
pathy and  method.4 

The  query  is  inevitable:  Why  the  former  neglect  and 
the  present  marked  interest  ?  How  explain  this  complete 
change  of  attitude,  which,  though  limited  in  extent,  yet 
amounts  to  a  veritable  revulsion  of  feeling?  Positive 
answers  to  this  query  are  obviously  impossible,  yet  cer- 
tain conjectures  may  be  ventured.  The  very  obscurity  in 
which  Hebbel's  name  was  so  long  buried  may  have  given 
some  impulse  to  a  renewal  of  interest.  The  striking 
conflict  of  opinion  regarding  Hebbel's  merits  on  the  part 
of  equally  qualified  judges  may  also  have  induced  many 
to  examine  and  to  judge  for  themselves.  Those  thus 
enticed  into  individual  research  must  have  been  im- 
pressed with  the  unfairness  of  much  that  has  been  said 
and  repeated  concerning  Hebbel,  for  not  all  of  his  critics 
have  given  evidence  of  sincerity.  There  are  some,  to 
be  sure,  whose  condemnation  or  whose  indifference  is 
obviously  candid.  The  attitude  of  Wackernagel  and  of 
Kurz,  for  example,  is  that  of  cold  disapproval,  but  at 


8  Hebbel's  complete  works  have  been  edited  by  Emil  Kuh 
(1865-7),  H.  Krumm  (1891-2),  K.  Zeiss  (1899),  H.  Krutnm 
(1900),  R.  M.  Werner  (1  ed.  1900,  second  and  third  editions  have 
since  appeared).  The  publishers,  B.  Behrs  Verlag,  announce  an 
elaborate  "Sakularausgabe"  in  16  vols.,  edited  by  Werner,  to  reach 
completion  on  March  18,  1913,  the  centenary  of  Hebbel's  birth. 

4  See  H.  Krumm,  Hebbelbiographien,  Zt.  f.  deut.  Phil., 
Band  43,  Heft  1  and  2,  S.  266  ff.  R.  Petsch,  Zur  Einfuhrung  in 
das  Studium  Friedrich  Hebbels,  Germanisch-Romanische  Mo- 
natsschrift,  1  Jahrg.  1  Halbband,  Jan.-Jun,  1909,  S.  21  ff. 


INTRODUCTION  5 

least  they  have  read  Hebbel  and  not  merely  his  critics. 
On  the  other  hand  what  certain  later  writers  have  to  say 
arouses  the  suspicion  of  having  been  borrowed  from  some 
biassed  predecessor.5  Seemingly  their  procedure  was  to 
accept  certain  conventional  criticisms  without  going  to 
the  trouble  of  a  personal  verification,  some  of  them  tak- 
ing refuge  behind  one  or  another  of  Hebbel's  contem- 
porary detractors, — Julian  Schmidt,  Karl  Gutzkow  or 
Otto  Ludwig.  Contact  now  and  again  with  conventional 
estimates  of  this  sort  may  have  had  the  effect  of  a  chal- 
lenge to  unprejudiced  trial.  The  appeal  to  the  sense  of 
fair  play  may  have  been  the  initial  impulse  on  the  part 
of  many  a  subsequent  Hebbel  champion.  And  unques- 
tionably the  stream  of  recent  comment,  both  favorable 
and  unfavorable,  with  its  gradually  accumulated  volume 
and  power,  has  served  to  extend  general  interest  in  Heb- 
bel and  to  embolden  the  admiration  of  his  avowed  dis- 


5  A  great  many  of  the  unfavorable  critics  of  Hebbel  em- 
phasize what  they  call  the  sensational  quality  of  his  works.  He 
is  also  accused  of  fondness  for  the  horrible  and  repulsive.  The 
following  quotations  are  representative: 

".  .  .  .  In  Judith  and  Genpveva  Hebbel  gave  proof  of  a  great 
command  of  energetic  diction,  but  his  taste  for  introducing  hor- 
rible incidents  was  very  justly  censured.  It  almost  reminds  us 
of  Lohenstein,  who  ought  to  be  forgotten."  Gostwick  and  Har- 
rison, Outlines  of  Germ.  Lit.,  N.  Y.  and  Boston,  1873,  p.  514. 

Hebbel's  Judith  is  "eine  sinnlich-sensationelle  Ausbeutung  und 
Verzerrung  der  aus  den  Apokryphen  des  Alten  Testaments 
bekannten  jiidischen  Volkssage."  The  later  dramas  contain 
"neben  einzelnen  ....  Schonheiten  die  alle  solche  verdunkelnde 
Neigung  zum  Grasslichen  und  Absonderlichen  und  oft  eine  alle 
Schranken  missachtende  Zugellosigkeit."  This  is  from  Robert 
Konig's  Deutsche  Litteraturgeschichte,  1879,  pp.  606-7,  and  is 
securely  buttressed  by  a  quotation  from  Julian  Schmidt,  who 
finds  in  Hebbel  "bei  den  raffinierten  Empfindungen  und  der 
kiinstlich  gesteigerten  Hitze  die  frostige  Sprache  der  Reflexion." 

Robert  Webber  Moore  (History  of  German  Lit.,  7  ed.  1908,  p. 
217)  devotes  but  one  paragraph  to  Hebbel  and  mentions  "Judith, 
in  which  he  (i.e.  Hebbel)  treats  the  Jewish  legend  in  a  very 
sensational  manner.  Although  this  piece  has  many  strong  points 
it  is  full  of  the  horrible  and  the  repulsive." 


6  STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ciples.  At  present  there  is  substantial  acquaintance  with 
Hebbel's  best  work  among  Germans  of  breeding  as  a 
whole,  and  a  veritable  Hebbel  cult  within  circumscribed 
zones. 

Again,  Hebbel's  present  prominence  may  be  traced  in 
part  to  a  radical  change  in  the  method  and  viewpoint  of 
literary  historians.  The  later  students  of  German  litera- 
ture seek  to  portray  above  all  things  individuals  as  repre- 
sentatives of  the  intellectual  struggles  of  the  nation,  and 
to  expound  the  ideas  of  such  individuals  only  in  so  far 
as  these  are  dynamic  factors  in  the  ethical  evolution  of 
the  race.  Whoever  makes  this  his  guiding  principle — 
R.  M.  Meyer  avowedly  does  so  in  his  history  of  German 
literature  in  the  nineteenth  century — must  accord  to  Heb- 
bel a  prominent  place  in  his  account.  So  long  as  the  his- 
tory of  German  letters  lays  stress  upon  individuality, 
just  so  long  will  men  like  Hebbel  be  conspicuous  there. 

And  finally  an  impetus  toward  candid  and  intelligent 
Hebbel  study  may  have  been  afforded  by  the  publication 
of  his  diaries.6  Even  the  appearance  of  cruelly  curtailed 
selections  made  a  deep  impression.  Those  really  inter- 
ested were  given  an  opportunity  of  extending  their 
knowledge  by  the  appearance  of  less  abridged  versions, 
notably  Werner's  complete  edition  of  the  Tagebiicher  in 
four  volumes.  All  serious  readers  soon  became  con- 
vinced that  these  pages  record  the  spiritual  struggles  of 
a  soul  intensely  human,  nobly  independent  and  pro- 
foundly modern.  Thus  the  diaries  engendered  suitable 


6  Copious  extracts  from  Hebbel's  journals  and  letters  were 
incorporated  in  Kuh's  Biography.  In  1885  and  1889  Felix  Bam- 
berg  edited  "Friedrich  Hebbel's  Tagebiicher"  in  two  volumes, 
which  reveals  a  ruthless  censorship  on  the  part  of  the  editor. 
Werner's  complete  historical-critical  edition  of  Hebbel's  diaries, 
published  in  1903,  affords  deeper  insight  into  Hebbel's  personality 
and  exhibits  incidentally  the  reverence  and  scholarly  judgment 
of  the  editor. 


INTRODUCTION  7 

receptivity  in  the  public  mind  by  vouching  in  an  effectual 
way  for  the  author's  rectitude  and  the  unaffected  sub- 
jectivity of  his  works.  For  although  Hebbel's  dramas 
and  poems  stand  upon  their  own  merits,  yet  their  deepest 
message  is  conveyed  to  those  that  are  acquainted  with 
the  poet's  personality  as  revealed  in  his  diaries.  And  any 
valid  estimate  of  Hebbel's  work  must  necessarily  put 
great  emphasis  upon  the  personal,  the  subjective  element 
in  it.  There  will  always  be  many  who  consider  Hebbel's 
dramas  too  speculative,  who  will  regard  his  characters 
as  Anschauungen  rather  than  animate  creatures,  who  will 
consider  the  passions  that  he  depicts  as  remote  from  life 
in  its  typical  forms.7  Yet  precisely  these  qualities  send 
their  roots  into  the  very  quick  of  Hebbel's  nature.  And 
Hebbel's  friends,  who  knew  his  life  and  his  personality, 
find  his  poetic  creatures  human  enough.  Read  in  the 
light  of  the  records  and  confessions  of  his  diaries,  the 
dramas  become  the  symbolic  expression  of  an  austere  but 
sublime  philosophy,  embodying  a  conception  of  life  and 
of  art  into  which  there  have  passed  the  very  blood  and 
tissue  of  Hebbel's  being. 

In  a  medium  of  material  and  spiritual  conflict,  light- 
ened by  intimations  of  an  eternal  cosmic  purpose,  were 
born  Hebbel's  principles  of  life  and  of  art;  were  born 
his  intense  dramas,  in  which  human  fate  becomes  a  piti- 
less but  necessary  struggle  between  individuality  and  the 
cosmic  Idee.  In  this  medium  were  born  his  diaries,  let- 
ters and  essays,  documents  indispensable  to  the  full 
understanding  of  the  man  and  the  poet.  In  this  medium 
were  born,  lastly,  his  lyrical  poems,  bright  gems  many  of 
them,  the  symbolic  form  that  his  moods  assume  in 
moments  of  inspired  experience. 


7  This  is   Otto  Ludwig*s  criticism,  Gesammelte  Schriften 
(A.  Stern)  V,  pp.  357  ff. 


8  STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

The  current  interest  in  Hebbel  is  devoted  chiefly  to  his 
plays.  We  are  conscious  that  we  have  parted  with  the 
classical  ideals  when  we  read  these  plays.  We  are  con- 
scious, too,  that  the  atmosphere  of  Romanticism  does  not 
pervade  them.8  Somehow  we  feel  the  presence  here  of 
the  distinctly  modern  note.  Modern  these  plays  are  in 
their  conscious  portrayal  of  the  complex,  the  problematic, 
the  tragic  quality  of  lif e ;  modern,  too,  in  their  conception 
of  art  as  something  divine  yet  withal  very  close  to  life, 
not  serenely  aloof  from  or  above  it,  not  a  species  of  fil- 
tered experience  from  which  all  earthy  impurities  have 
been  removed.  But  more  significant  than  the  higher 
realism  and  the  modernity  of  these  dramas  is  their 
austere  conception  of  man's  part  in  the  great  evolution. 
Their  kinship  with  the  world's  greatest  art  resides  in 
their  revelation  of  the  superb  personality  whose  bitter 
conflicts  supplied  their  substance  and  whose  prophetic 
vision  shaped  their  inner  form. 

Hebbel's  lyrical  poems  have  been  unduly  neglected.9 
In  the  belief  that  the  lyrical  utterance  of  a  nature  so  per- 


8  Cf.  J.  Collin,  Weltanschauung  der  Romantik  u.  Friedrich 
Hebbel  [see  Jahresberichte  f.  neuere  deut.  Litt'gesch'te,  1895,  IV, 
4 :  373] ;  H.  Krumm,  Hebbel  als  Tragiker,  Z'ft.  fur  deut.  Phil., 
Bd.  38,  S.  118ff. 

8  The  astounding  difference  of  opinion  respecting  Hebbel's 
merits  is  seen  in  the  conflicting  estimates  of  his  lyrical  poems. 
The  praises  bestowed  upon  these  poems  in  Kuh's  Biography  are 
now  generally  considered  extravagant,  yet  Kuh's  ardent  admira- 
tion, we  believe,  is  more  justifiable  than  R.  M.  Meyer's  uncondi- 
tional condemnation.  Among  the  older  historians  that  recognize 
Hebbel,  Wackernagel  ignores  the  lyrics  altogether,  while  Hille- 
brand  on  the  whole  damns  by  his  faint  praise.  Kurz  on  the 
other  hand  concedes  to  Hebbel  more  than  ordinary  lyric  talent; 
to  him  Hebbel's  poems  reveal  a  wealth  of  poetic  ideas  and 
"Genialitat,"  which  are  marred,  however,  by  unpardonable  metri- 
cal and  rhetorical  blemishes.  There  is  a  brief  but  sympathetic 
discussion  of  Hebbel's  lyrics  in  the  Literaturgeschichte  of  Vogt 
and  Koch,  where  Hebbel  is  ranked  among  Germany's  best  lyric 
and  epic  poets,  Chiefly  on  the  strength  of  his  "Balladen."  Edward 
Engel's  Geschichte  der  deut.  Lit.  contains  a  short  but  enthu- 


INTRODUCTION  9 

sonal  and  so  modern  must  hold  much  that  may  illumine 
and  guide  the  student  of  literary  artistry,  these  "Studies" 
undertake  a  detailed  investigation  of  certain  phases  of 
Hebbel's  poetic  technic.  The  sensuous  media  of  expres- 
sion, as  found  in  his  lyrical  poems,  is  the  special  field 
marked  out.  The  intensive  study  of  these  important 
poetic  qualities  has  yielded  results  of  both  general  and 
specific  pertinency.  In  the  first  place,  our  results  con- 
stitute a  strong  confirmation  of  what  is  generally  tacitly 
assumed,  that  a  true  poet,  whatever  his  theme,  embodies 
his  concepts  in  objective  form  and  employs  for  his 
thought  terms  taken  to  a  large  degree  from  the  world  of 
sense. 

Our  results  have,  secondly,  specific  value  because  of 
their  bearing  upon  important  problems  touching  Hebbel's 


siastic  tribute  to  Hebbel's  lyrics,  in  which  the  question  is  raised 
whether  these  will  not  yet  live  to  be  highly  prized  when  his 
dramas  excite  only  amazement  and  awe.  In  Coar's  "Studies  in 
Germ.  Literature  in  the  19th  Century"  Hebbel's  poems  are  mi- 
nutely analyzed  to  show  the  trend  of  the  poet's  development, 
"which  in  its  general  lines  may  be  said  to  have  progressed  from 
lyric  poetry  through  epic  description  to  dramatic  conception" 
(p.  250).  Finally  in  Alfred  Biese's  Deutsche  Literaturge- 
schichte,  vol.  3  (von  Hebbel  bis  zur  Gegenwart,  1911),  Hebbel's 
lyrics  are  appreciatively  though  somewhat  superficially  discussed. 

Among  the  extended  discussions  of  Hebbel's  lyrics,  mention  is 
due  to  R.  M.  Werner's  illuminating  introduction  to  the  lyrics 
(vol.  VII,  pp.  xv-xlix,  of  Werner's  edition  of  Hebbel's  Works), 
as  well  as  the  analyses  interspersed  throughout  the  same  author's 
"Lyrik  und  Lyriker,"  Hamburg  u.  Leipzig,  1890.  Also  the  fol- 
lowing publications  are  to  be  noted: 

H.  Moller.  Hebbel  als  Lyriker.  Progr.  der  hoheren  Staats- 
schule  in  Cuxhaven,  1908. 

Johannes  Maria  Fischer,  Studien  zu  Hebbel's  Jugendlyrik. 
Dortmund,  1910. 

A  cursory  appreciation  of  the  subject  that  receives  more  de- 
tailed treatment  in  the  following  "Studies"  may  be  found  in  my 
article,  Hebbel  as  a  Lyric  Poet,  Journal  of  Eng.  and  Germ. 
Phil.,  IX,  no.  3,  pp.  321-39. 

Bernhard  Patzak  has  made  a  study  of  Hebbel's  epigrams,  which 
are  not  considered  in  these  "Studies,"  in  his  work,  Friedrich 
Hebbels  Epigramme  (Berlin,  1902). 


10          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

poetic  temperament.  The  charge  has  been  made  by  men 
who  admire  Hebbel  the  dramatist  that  his  songs  are 
merely  metricized  reflections,  that  they  bear  evidence  of 
labored  workmanship  and  lack  the  freshness  that  marks 
the  irresistible  up-gush  of  strong  feeling.  Now  the  in- 
vestigation of  the  concrete  elements,  of  the  sensuous  im- 
agery that  Hebbel  employs,  ought  to  be  pertinent  in  the 
solution  of  this  problem.  Not  that  prosaic  reflection  is 
made  poetry  by  mere  sensuous  verbiage.  It  may  be  true 
that  sheer  poetic  conceptions  borrow  nothing  from  exter- 
nal form  to  establish  their  divinity.  Yet  the  style  of 
essentially  speculative  authors  is  prevailingly  abstract, 
unrelieved  by  concrete  imagery.  The  predominance  of 
sensuous  elements  is  an  indication  that  the  impalpable  has 
become  corporeal,  that  in  applying  ideas  to  life  the  author 
has  used  as  his  medium  the  most  obvious  forms  of  life — 
the  objective  world ;  and  that  in  his  message  to  the  spirit 
he  has  knowingly  or  unknowingly  employed  the  symbols 
of  sense.  And  this  is  the  inevitable  induction  in  the 
specific  case  before  us.  It  would  be  idle  to  deny  the 
presence  of  profound  thought  in  Hebbel's  lyrics.  With 
him  living  was  essentially  agitated  thinking,  and  his  most 
characteristic  experience  was  the  intense  passion  that 
such  thinking  aroused.  Thus  his  reflections  either  sprang 
from  high-wrought  moods,  or  they  superinduced  such 
moods.  The  substance  of  his  song  is  often  the  sym- 
bolized emotion  or  spell  attending  such  intellectual  tra- 
vail. The  sensuousness  of  his  best  poems  points  to  a  fine 
articulation  of  the  reflective  and  the  intuitive  faculty; 
through  this  creative  coalition  his  thought  is  transsub- 
stantiated,  and  is  endowed  as  well  with  the  graces  of 
poetic  form  by  the  operation  of  a  genuine  and  severely 
trained  artistry. 


INTRODUCTION  11 

There  is  a  further  consideration  upon  which  our  study 
has  a  particular  bearing.  Throughout  the  major  part  of 
his  life  Hebbel  coupled  full  appreciation  of  his  own  artis- 
tic achievement  with  ready  tribute  to  the  greatness  of 
others.  Schiller,  the  guiding  star  of  his  early  years,  was 
soon  superseded  by  Uhland;  also  Tieck,  E.  T.  A.  Hoff- 
mann and  Kleist  had  each  strong  attractions  for  him.  It 
is  significant  that  all  of  these  are  distinguished  by  marked 
sensuousness.  Schiller,  for  example,  exhibits  his  fond- 
ness for  sensuous  terms  in  his  more  familiar  shorter 
ballads,  as  well  as  in  Das  Lied  von  der  Glocke,  Der 
Spasiergang,  Der  Fluchtling,  Wurden  and  An  Emma. 
The  suspicion  is  perfectly  natural  that  Hebbel's  lights, 
sounds,  odors,  etc.,  are  merely  imitations  of  the  stylistic 
effects  employed  by  his  early  models.  The  three  editions 
of  Hebbel's  poems  that  appeared  during  his  lifetime 
afford  important  data  for  the  settlement  of  this  point. 
The  complete  edition  of  1857  (edition  C)  exhibits  the 
effects  of  severe  pruning,  so  that  Hebbel  could  say  of  it : 
"what  has  here  been  allowed  to  stand  must  then  be  re- 
garded as  of  the  very  fibre  of  my  being"  (mit  meinem 
innersten  Wesen  verwachsen).  Of  prime  importance 
for  our  purpose  are  first  the  new  poems  in  C,  which  re- 
veal the  matured  poet,  independent  in  thought  and  in 
style ;  and  secondly  the  old  poems  that  now  in  this  edition 
reappear  in  vitally  altered  form.  Both  these  groups  point 
to  sustained  use  of  the  concrete.  Indeed,  among  some  of 
the  very  latest  poems  there  are  many  in  which  the  theme 
is  developed  in  gorgeous  sensuous  symbolism.  In  the 
case  of  the  materially  altered  poems  an  increase  in  length 
is  attended  by  substantial  increase  in  the  number  of  sen- 
suous terms.  Furthermore,  the  poems  that  have  been 
shortened  show  a  proportionate  gain  in  sensuousness.  All 
these  facts  would  tend  to  prove  that  the  element  under 


12          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

consideration  in  Hebbel's  lyrics  is  an  organic  matter,  and 
that  his  incessant  resort  to  the  sensuous  as  a  medium  of 
expression  is  instinctive  and  not  the  result  of  deliberate 
or  unconscious  imitation.10 

Nevertheless  there  would  be  a  certain  satisfaction  in 
comparing  Hebbel  with  the  writers  named  and  noting 
possible  resemblances  between  their  sensuous  imagery 
and  his  own.  We  are  convinced,  however,  that  such  de- 
tailed comparison  would  yield  essentially  negative  results. 
The  independence  of  Hebbel's  mind  and  art  as  well  as 
his  relations  with  the  productions  of  those  whom  he  most 
admired  would  not  lead  us  to  look  for  any  substantial 
resemblances.  His  life-long  admiration  for  Uhland,  for 
instance,  never  went  to  the  length  of  extended  imitation, 
Uhland's  influence  amounting  practically  to  that  of  liber- 
ating Hebbel  from  the  Schilleresque  style  of  his  youth.11 
His  well-known  admiration  for  Kleist  did  not  obscure 
from  him  the  fact  that  his  own  art  productions  were 
animated  by  different  aims.  Tieck  and  Hoffmann  fasci- 
nated him  by  a  certain  luxuriance  of  sensuous  imagina- 
tion, yet  their  works  were  for  him  genial  anomalies  that 
scarcely  ever  tempted  his  serious  emulation.  Finally 
Schiller,  who  might  be  supposed  to  have  left  the  most 
perceptible  impress,  being  one  of  the  earliest  of  his 
models,  later  lost  all  influence  upon  him.  Indeed, 
Schiller's  art  seemed  to  the  maturer  Hebbel  the  very 
opposite  of  his  own.  True,  there  is  a  certain  kinship 
between  the  two  poets,  inasmuch  as  both  symbolize  the 


10  Cf.  the  author's  article,  Hebbel  as  a  Lyric  Poet,  Jour, 
of  Eng.  and  Germ.  Phil.,  IX,  no.  3,  pp.  337-8. 

11  Herman  Fischer,  Klassizismus  u.  Romantik  in   Schwa- 
ben   zu  An  fang  unseres   Jhs    [Recension  in   Jahresberichte    fiir 
neuere  deut.  Litt'gesch'te,  1891,  IV,  11:  69-70;  78].    Moller,  too, 
warns  against  overestimating  Uhland's   influence  upon    Hebbel, 
which  he  confines  to  "die  friiheste  Zeit  und  die   Balladendich- 
tung."    See  his  Hebbel  als  Lyriker,  pp.  1  ff. 


INTRODUCTION  13 

universal  through  the  particular.  But  with  Hebbel  the 
particular  was  the  starting  point,  with  Schiller,  the  uni- 
versal. Schiller's  way  was  for  Hebbel  utterly  fallacious, 
distorted;  as  though  one  were  to  conceive  of  trees  as 
masses  of  leaves,  branches  and  limbs,  reaching  down 
from  sky  above  to  earth  below,  and  there  developing 
roots.  The  transition  for  Hebbel  was  the  other  way, 
from  particular  symbol  through  intuition  to  universal 
idea.  To  his  mind,  the  radical  potentialities  of  poetry 
yield  the  branchings  and  foliations  of  religion  and 
philosophy.  It  is  hardly  probable  therefore  that  the 
sensuous  media  of  two  conceptions  of  art  so  divergent 
would  reveal  anything  more  than  negligible  resemblances. 
The  degree  to  which  Hebbel  employs  the  sensuous  is 
strikingly  illustrated  by  his  "orientalism."  This  topic 
receives  extended  treatment  in  Chapter  III  of  our 
"Studies,"  which  presents  in  somewhat  modified  form 
the  results  of  a  doctor's  thesis  submitted  by  the  writer 
in  1907  to  the  faculty  of  Yale  University  under  the  title, 
"Color  and  Light  in  Hebbel's  Lyric  Poetry."  Hebbel's 
predilection  for  the  elementary  and  associative  beauties 
of  light,  color  and  luster  was  very  marked.  Copious  pas- 
sages in  the  diaries  and  the  poems  reveal  how  susceptible 
he  was  to  the  color  splendors  of  earth  and  sky.  So  also, 
sparkling  jewels  or  brightly  colored  stones  could  upon 
favorable  occasion  afford  positive  artistic  impulse 
through  their  appeal  to  his  fancy.  In  Chapter  III,  below, 
the  instances  of  light  and  color  in  Hebbel's  poems  are 
collected  and  compared,  thus  enabling  a  valid  judgment 
upon  the  quantitative  and  qualitative  distinction  of  his 
color  allusions.  Furthermore,  the  attempt  is  there  made 
to  demonstrate  by  the  citation  of  characteristic  passages 
that  Hebbel  possessed  an  instinctive  color  sense  that  bade 
him  observe  the  fundamental  color  harmonies,  and  thus 


14          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

placed  a  certain  restraint  upon  his  fancy.  Accordingly 
we  seldom  find  in  Hebbel's  songs  any  of  that  chromatic 
riot  that  distinguishes  the  imagery  of  German  Romanti- 
cists. 

The  eye  and  the  ear  are  the  great  avenues  to  the  mind 
for  the  aesthetic  class  of  influences.  We  may  well  think 
in  this  connection  of  Hebbel's  northern  origin.  In  his 
early  home  he  must  have  come  into  close  communion 
with  the  sea.  The  varying  sounds  of  wind  and  wave  as 
well  as  the  mists  and  modulated  lights  must  early  have 
aroused  his  fancy.  His  feeling  for  music  was  an  inti- 
mate one.  Temperamentally  musical,  he  was  exception- 
ally sensitive  to  the  symbolic  and  associative  properties 
of  musical  sound.  He  himself  asserted  that  he  was  often 
conscious  of  a  musical  sensation  as  a  prelude  or  pre- 
monitory sign  of  poetic  creation.  Accordingly  sound  as 
Ausdrucksmittel  in  Hebbel's  lyrical  poetry  receives  ex- 
tended consideration  in  Chapter  IV  below. 

One  would  naturally  suppose  that  a  poet  whose  soul 
derived  such  stimulus  and  pleasure  from  the  various 
forms  of  physical  sound,  from  the  musical  tones  of  voice 
or  instrument,  as  well  as  from  the  myriad  sounds  and 
noises  of  nature,  would  be  equally  alert  to  the  opposite 
phenomenon,  silence,  with  all  its  elemental  and  asso- 
ciational  properties.  Such  a  poet,  too,  might  reasonably 
be  expected  to  delight  in  the  spell-binding  effects  of  that 
neutral  land  between  the  two  domains,  where  the  sounds 
heard  seem  to  melt  into  and  magnify  the  silence,  and 
where  silence  is  so  intense  as  to  become  positively 
audible.  The  usual  poetic  value  of  the  concrete  becomes 
much  enhanced  in  the  case  of  silence,  because  silence  is 
so  preeminently  a  complex  matter,  with  strongly  marked 
physical  and  mental  aspects.  How  this  important  auxil- 
iary of  illusion  and  symbolism  co-operates  in  Hebbel's 


INTRODUCTION  15 

lyrical  poetry  is  discussed  in  detail  in  Chapter  V.  We 
also  raise  there  the  question  as  to  the  relative  importance 
of  the  individual,  the  racial  and  the  environmental  factor 
in  Hebbel's  marked  fondness  for  the  various  aspects  of 
silence  and  his  effectual  resort  to  it  in  his  poems. 

Taste  and  smell  play  a  minor  role  in  Hebbel's  media 
of  expression,  which  is  true,  of  course,  of  poets  in  gen- 
eral. More  noticeable  is  the  fact  that  Hebbel's  sense  of 
form  is  relatively  less  delicate,  responds  to  fewer  varieties 
of  impression,  and  affords  him  a  less  available  emotional 
adjunct  than  is  usual  with  distinctly  sensuous  poets.12 
But  he  is  on  the  other  hand  decidedly  susceptible  to  the 
more  primitive  tactual  qualities.  Those  physical  prop- 
erties that  we  come  to  know  through  impressions  upon 
the  cutaneous,  kinaesthetic  and  organic  sensibilities  figure 
prominently  in  his  sensory  life,  and  his  writings  submit 
good  evidence  of  the  close  relation  between  such  prop- 
erties and  his  moods  and  fancies.  This  phase  of  Hebbel's 
sensuous  style  occupies  us  in  Chapter  VI. 

To  be  complete,  this  study  of  Hebbel's  sensuous  media 
should  include  at  least  two  additional  things, — first,  an 
investigation  of  his  imagery,  especially  his  metaphors; 
and  secondly,  a  chapter  devoted  to  his  uniformly  effectual 
portrayal  of  the  emotions  through  the  medium  of  their 
physical  concomitants.  Materials  for  the  presentation  of 
both  these  topics  have  been  collected  by  the  writer,  and 
his  results  here,  as  well  as  his  examination  of  still  other 
aspects  of  the  main  subject,  are  to  be  presented  in  special 
papers  as  soon  as  expedient.  Chapters  III,  IV,  V  and 


12  We  cannot  too  strongly  emphasize  that  this  deficiency 
is  but  a  relative  one.  Moreover,  the  deficiency  seems  far  less 
marked  if  we  extend  the  field  of  examination  so  as  to  include 
Hebbel's  dramas  as  well  as  his  poems  and  diaries.  The  writer 
purposes  to  devote  a  special  paper  to  this  subject  in  the  near 
future. 


16          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

VI  of  our  "Studies,"  approaching  the  matter,  as  they  do, 
from  its  four  main  sides,  constitute  on  the  whole  an  es- 
sentially symmetrical  and  adequate  presentation.  Fur- 
thermore, in  the  chapter  on  light  and  color,  we  have 
devoted  attention  to  the  metaphors  of  this  specific  type. 

Our  examination  of  the  psychological  phases  of  Heb- 
bel's  expressional  media,  to  the  practical  exclusion  of  the 
historical  aspects,  may  call  for  some  defense.  Nowadays 
there  is  little  disposition  to  take  seriously  any  research  in 
linguistic  or  literary  fields  that  does  not  trace  the  sup- 
posed phenomenon's  evolution  through  the  mazes  of  en- 
vironment and  tradition.  Thus  a  poet's  Naturgefiihl 
becomes  largely  the  product  of  his  reading,  his  literary 
associations.  We  have  stated  above  our  grounds  for 
considering  as  unimportant  any  external  stylistic  resem- 
blance between  Hebbel  and  his  known  models.  Moreover, 
the  general  historical  factor  in  Hebbel's  development  as 
a  lyric  poet,  so  far  as  this  can  be  authentically  substan- 
tiated, has  been  carefully  studied.  And  certainly  in  deal- 
ing with  the  specific  subject  of  Hebbel's  sensuousness, 
we  felt  that  the  historical  factor  might  be  disregarded 
with  impunity.  Of  course  the  criticism  is  easy  that  such 
sensuousness  is  at  basis  only  a  phase  of  the  more  com- 
prehensive matter  Naturgefiihl,  which  is  essentially  a 
result  of  tradition  and  should  be  so  approached.  From 
this  viewpoint,  the  proper  procedure  is  to  trace  the  con- 
tinuity of  literary  tradition  as  exhibited  in  the  sensuous 
element  of  our  poet,  supplementing  this  with  a  careful 
analysis  and  characterization  of  his  distinctively  indi- 
vidual deviations  from  immemorial  custom. 

While  admitting  the  validity  of  this  claim,  we  never- 
theless feel  justified  in  pursuing  our  study  without  heed- 
ing overmuch  the  historical  side.  The  hunt  for  literary 
continuities  has  not  seldom  led  critical  scholarship  into 


INTRODUCTION  17 

expeditions  of  doubtful  profit.  As  applied  to  a  definite 
concrete  element  in  poetry,  literary  tradition  is  but  one 
of  a  number  of  ingredients  in  an  infinitely  complicated 
matter.  To  ascribe  to  tradition  the  controlling  interest 
in  a  poet's  nature  feeling  is  misleading  in  the  over- 
emphasis put  upon  the  heritage  transmitted  from  the 
past  to  the  present.  This  heritage  is  received  by  no  two 
poets  exactly  alike,  each  one  is  impressed  in  a  manner 
essentially  unique  and  adapts  his  impressions  to  indi- 
vidual needs.  Unduly  to  emphasize  the  transmitted  herit- 
age reduces  the  role  of  each  poet  to  the  mere  frugal  hus- 
banding of  the  family  patronage.  There  is  a  constant 
element  that  should  not  become  obscured  in  any  detail 
of  its  continuity  and  precise  conformity;  but  there  is  an 
equally  vital  and  engaging  variable.  And  that  criticism 
will  not  be  profitless  that  strives  to  apprehend,  with  due 
regard  to  traditional  Naturgefuhl,  the  especial  features 
of  that  feeling  "as  connected  with  soul,  of  a  specific  per- 
sonality, in  its  preferences,  its  volitions  and  powers." 

Let  us  illustrate  the  tendencies  of  the  historical  method 
by  examining  a  specific  instance.  The  author  of  a  recent 
work  on  Grillparzer  as  a  poet  of  nature  introduces  his 
subject  with  a  sketch  of  the  successive  stages  in  the 
growth  of  man's  nature  feeling.  Following  A.  Biese,  he 
enumerates  seven  such  stages, — the  mere  animal  reaction 
to  physical  environment  exemplified  by  Homer,  the  deistic 
nature-fervor  of  the  Hebrews,  the  troubadours'  and  min- 
nesingers' surrender  to  the  erotic  promptings  of  nature, 
the  oracular  mysticism  of  Renaissance  nature  poetry,  the 
misanthropic  nature  worship  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, typified  by  Rousseau,  the  pantheistic  doctrine  of 
God  immanent  in  nature,  which  Goethe  best  reflects,  and 
lastly  the  Romantic  reaction  with  its  sentimentalism  on 
the  one  hand  and  its  morbid  passion  for  nature's  terrify- 


18          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ing  aspects  on  the  other.13  The  body  of  the  investigation 
presents  detailed  examples  of  Grillparzer's  nature 
descriptions.  The  range  and  character  of  these  descrip- 
tions are  displayed  by  selections  from  Grillparzer's  allu- 
sions to  the  seasons,  to  light  and  darkness,  to  sea  and 
stream,  to  thunder,  lightning,  rain  and  wind.  The  con- 
cluding chapter  formulates  and  expounds  the  message 
revealed  to  the  poet  in  his  inspired  contemplation  of 
nature's  visible  forms.  Thus  the  bulk  of  the  work  con- 
stitutes a  clear  exposition  and  analysis  of  Grillparzer's 
inborn  passion  for  nature,  with  especial  emphasis  upon 
the  individuality  of  expression  to  which  this  passion  gave 
rise. 

What  excites  our  misgiving  is  the  general  premise 
from  which  the  study  sets  out.  Nature  feeling  is  as- 
sumed to  be  something  concededly  traditional.  True,  the 
importance  of  imitation  in  the  development  of  Naturge- 
fiihl  cannot  be  questioned,  supported  as  it  is  by  the 
opinion  of  able  judges.  Yet  one  may  easily  attribute  un- 
due prominence  to  this  factor.  Even  though  sanctioned 
by  the  results  of  able  research  in  special  fields,  there  is 
danger  in  the  hypothesis  that  "our  nature  feeling  is 
largely  a  matter  of  tradition."  Precious  little  room  is 
left  for  a  poet's  Eigenart  if  we  presuppose  certain  estab- 
lished conceptions  from  which  his  own  views  of  nature 
must  be  drawn.  Analogies  among  productions  in  the 
intellectual  and  literary  field  are  in  themselves  such  fas- 
cinating phenomena  that  one  may  unwittingly  be  lured 
beyond  the  bounds  of  substantial  footing.  On  the  basis 
of  just  such  analogies  Hebbel  has  been  charged  with  in- 
tellectual borrowings,  which  he  repudiated  with  charac- 
teristic emphasis.  From  the  very  nature  of  the  case, 


13  Faust    Charles    De    Walsh,    Grillparzer    as    a    Poet    of 
Nature,  Columbia  University  Germanic  Studies,  New  York,  1910. 


INTRODUCTION  19 

Grillparzer's  poetry  has  elements  that  are  analogous  to 
one  and  another  of  the  evolutionary  stages  of  man's 
nature  feeling.  His  most  obvious  points  of  contact  are 
with  the  romantic  and  pantheistic  conceptions.  This 
tempts  the  conclusion  that  "Grillparzer's  nature-poetry  is 
not  so  much  an  original  conception  of  nature  as  an  origi- 
nal expression  of  modern  interpretation."14  Yet  the  ex- 
pository portion  of  De  Walsh's  work  inclines  us  to  be- 
lieve that  precisely  this  "original  expression"  is  the  core, 
the  essence  of  the  poet's  feeling,  and  that  the  originality 
of  his  expression  springs  from  an  originality  of  intuition 
and  conception.  Expression  and  intuition,  form  and 
conception,  are  in  a  very  real  sense  one  and  indissoluble. 
It  is  difficult  to  convince  ourselves,  therefore,  of  Grill- 
parzer's indebtedness  to  or  dependence  upon  this  or  that 
tradition  with  which  his  nature  poetry  may  present  cer- 
tain analogies.  Thus  we  cannot  feel  altogether  certain 
that  "Grillparzer  as  a  poet  of  nature  reveals  the  influence 
exerted  upon  him  especially  by  the  romantic  reaction."15 
Only  with  grave  reluctance  can  we  concede  that  "he 
could  not,  without  Goethe,  have  given  expression  to  a 
pantheistic  expression  of  nature,  or,  without  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Greeks  and  of  Rousseau,  to  a  perpetual 
longing  for  the  balm  of  solitude."16  There  is  no  denying 
that  Grillparzer's  assembled  nature  allusions  exhibit  cer- 
tain features  reminiscent  of  earlier  traditional  responses 
to  the  physical  world.  But  we  require  more  evidence 
than  mere  likeness  and  posteriority  to  justify  the  in- 
ference of  direct  influence  and  dependence.  Granting  the 
similarity,  post  hoc,  ergo  propter  hoc  is  not  sufficiently 
convincing  proof.  The  similarity,  the  constant  element 


i*  De  Walsh,  p.  89. 
is  De  Walsh,  p.  89. 
16  De  Walsh,  p.  89. 


20          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

in  nature  feeling  would  seem  to  point  to  something  far 
more  organic  and  cosmic  than  mere  imitation  or  trans- 
mitted influence.  The  various  types  of  nature  feeling 
constitute  in  one  sense  successive  stages  in  an  evolution. 
In  another  equally  important  sense  these  types  may  be 
regarded  as  mental  attitudes,  traceable  in  different  com- 
binations and  degrees  throughout  succeeding  epochs,  and 
exhibited  with  greater  or  less  variation  by  poets  of  dif- 
ferent lands  and  ages,  exposed  to  widely  different  con- 
ditions of  life  and  destiny,  animated  by  divergent  con- 
ceptions of  art.  Where  direct  influence  cannot  be  posi- 
tively established,  the  constant  element  in  nature  feeling 
leads  to  the  assumption  of  a  fundamental  kinship,  under 
the  most  varied  conditions  of  origin  and  growth,  of 
man's  responses  to  the  impressions  of  external  nature. 
And  this  assumption  of  a  universal  kinship  opens  up 
alluring  possibilities  as  to  the  primal  source  and  the 
cosmic  significance  of  poetic  inspiration. 

Objection  may  be  raised  to  approaching  Hebbel's  lyric 
poetry  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  concrete  media  of  his 
art,  because  such  a  method  may  seem  to  lay  undue  stress 
upon  the  sensuous  element,  and  thus  constructively  to 
class  Hebbel  among  the  poets  whose  appeal  is  chiefly  to 
the  senses,  whereas  in  reality  his  songs,  no  less  than  his 
dramas,  are  addressed  primarily  to  the  spirit. 

To  justify  and  explain  our  method  we  must  roughly 
distinguish  between  two  ways  in  which  the  term  poetry 
may  be  used.  The  word  has  a  very  broad  meaning  for 
those  who  maintain  that  there  is  no  intrinsically  poetic 
subject-matter,  that  the  poet  may  utilize  abstract  ideas 
or  the  occurrences  of  prosy  everyday  life, — any  and  all 
materials,  in  fact, — provided  only  that  these  assimilate 
deep  spiritual  import  under  his  treatment.  In  this  broad 
acceptation,  poetry  embraces  all  intuitive  creation  that 


INTRODUCTION  21 

reveals  in  abundant  measure  the  "application  of  pro- 
found ideas  to  life." 

But  such  a  broad  conception  admits  into  the  domain 
of  poetry  much  that  is  commonly  excluded.  There  is 
justification  therefore  for  distinguishing  within  this 
broad  domain  a  more  restricted  province  of  poetry  in  the 
narrower  sense,  embracing  works  in  which  the  ideal  ele- 
ment is  augmented  by  passionate  regard  for  certain  for- 
mal graces,  particularly  for  beauties  of  vision,  imagery 
or  expression.  That  Hebbel  exhibits  a  fervid  sense  of 
the  spiritual  realities  of  life  may  be  assumed  to  be  in- 
contestable. Those  who  would  exclude  his  creations 
from  the  broader  domain  of  poetry  can  do  so  only  by 
denying  their  depth  and  intensity.  That  they  are  equally 
entitled  to  inclusion  within  the  province  of  poetry  in  the 
narrower  sense  these  "Studies"  aim  in  part  to  show.  It 
becomes  imperative  therefore  to  deal  with  the  poems 
primarily  under  the  aspect  of  their  sensuous  media. 

By  this  is  obviously  not  implied  that  pure  sense  quali- 
ties play  any  independent  part  in  aesthetic  enjoyment. 
We  are  convinced  that  such  enjoyment  amounts  to  far 
more  than  mere  nerve  stimulation,  a  mere  Gestreichelt- 
und  Gestacheltwerden.  The  theory  is  entirely  reasonable 
that  appreciation  of  art,  particularly  poetic  art,  presents 
a  highly  complex  process,  a  synthesis-  in  which  sensory 
and  mental  factors  interfuse.17  None  the  less  we  have 
made  the  sensory  factors  our  chief  concern,  and  that 
because  precisely  these  factors  have  seldom  had  the 
serious  attention  that  they  deserve,  indeed  have  even 
been  treated  with  undisguised  disdain,  as  being  the  baser 
stratum  of  artistic  conception  and  enjoyment.  In  criti- 
cism of  poetry,  particularly,  the  function  of  the  sensory 
elements  often  suffers  unfair  neglect,  perhaps  because 

17 Karl  Gross:  Der  aesth.  Genuss,  Giessen,  1902,  Kap.  II. 


22          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

poetry  deals  so  largely  with  reproductive  factors  and  be- 
cause intellectual  processes — thought,  reflection,  abstrac- 
tion— necessarily  assume  importance  there.  And  yet  the 
presence  of  sense  qualities,  in  reproduced  form,  is  dis- 
tinctive of  poetic  composition,  and  the  vivid  realization 
of  these  sense  qualities,  often  accompanied  by  actual 
bodily  impressions,  distinguishes  our  most  intense  enjoy- 
ment of  poetry.  The  conclusion  is  fair  that  criticism  can- 
not too  strongly  emphasize  these  reproduced  visual, 
auditory  and  tactual  data,  as  well  as  the  motor  and  or- 
ganic sensations  with  which  they  are  frequently  accom- 
panied. 

Let  it  be  emphatically  stated  that  our  "Studies"  dis- 
claim any  intention  of  dealing  directly  with  the  question 
of  the  nature  of  poetry.  Yet  we  have  already  ventured 
upon  this  fascinating  ground  in  our  distinction  above 
between  poetry  in  a  broader  and  a  narrower  sense.  In- 
deed, our  investigation  is  of  such  a  sort  that  a  tentative 
statement  of  principles  is  unavoidable.  Such  a  distinc- 
tion as  the  one  made  above  serves  well  enough  to  em- 
phasize metrical  arrangement,  rhyme  and  rhythm,  meta- 
phorical and  phonetic  graces,  all  of  which  may  consti- 
tute a  legitimate  basis  for  any  rough  demarcation.  Un- 
fortunately this  basis  of  demarcation  tends  to  convert 
poetry  into  an  exclusive  set  of  literary  society,  walled 
off  from  the  vulgar  mass  of  letters  by  hereditary  tradi- 
tions and  ceremonious  forms.  But  the  term  poetry 
should  involve  a  more  fundamental  and  rudimentary  dis- 
tinction than  this.  In  these  "Studies"  we  therefore  em- 
ploy the  term  to  connote  a  distinctive  quality,  springing 
from  a  distinctive  type  of  response  to  environmental 
stimuli ;  and  we  accept  sensuousness  as  the  distinguishing 
feature  of  such  response.  The  starting  point  for  all  our 
mental  processes,  and  therefore  for  art  as  well,  is  life, 


INTRODUCTION  23 

life  in  the  sense  of  the  individual's  conscious  relations 
with  the  universe,  in  the  sense  of  personal  adjustments 
to  environmental  conditions.  The  highest  forms  of 
spiritual  activity — religion,  philosophy,  art — aim  to  rep- 
resent these  relations  and  adjustments  convincingly  to 
human  consciousness.  In  the  purely  intellective  form  of 
theoretic  spirit,  philosophy,  we  have  an  advanced  and 
refined  way  of  representing  life's  relations.  In  the  intui- 
tive form  of  the  spirit,  the  quality  of  the  representation 
is  more  primitive,  direct  and  strong.18  There  is  a  simple 
bruskness  about  the  poetic  quality,  because  the  funda- 
mental relations  are  all  referred  to  the  objective  world 
and  are  expressed  in  terms  taken  from  objects  of  sense, 
whereas  philosophy  refines  the  relations  into  super- 
sensuous  ideas  and  effects  its  representation  through  the 
medium  of  these  ideal  refinements. 

If  we  are  justified  in  regarding  this  brusk  sensuousness 
as  the  distinctive  poetic  quality,  then  that  which  we  call 
poetry  cannot  be  poetical  throughout.  A  passionate 
song  or  a  stirring  ballad  may  indeed  reveal  the  poetic 
quality  from  first  to  last,  but  an  extended  poem,  whether 
epic,  dramatic,  or  lyric,  necessarily  must  exhibit  at  one 
moment  preeminently  the  rugged  intuitive  quality,  at 
another  the  more  refined  intellectual  fibre.  Our  final 
estimate  of  the  essential  nature  of  such  extended  pro- 
ductions will  depend  upon  whether  their  presentation  of 
cosmic  relations  has  predominantly  the  corporeal  qual- 
ity of  objects  of  sense  or  the  more  ethereal  consistency 
of  abstract  conceptions. 

We  may  then  discard  the  notion  that  every  least  part 
of  poetry  so-called  must  have  the  quality  of  pure  intui- 

18  Benedetto  Croce :  Aesthetic  as  Science  of  Expression 
and  General  Linguistic.  Trans,  by  Douglas  Ainslee.  Macmillan, 
1909.  Appendix :  Pure  Intuition  and  the  Lyrical  Character  of 
Art. 


24          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tion.  For  the  fact  is  that  in  some  of  the  world's  con- 
cededly  great  poetry  the  intellectual  looms  large.  Indeed, 
we  should  perhaps  all  agree  that  the  removal  of  this 
intellectual  matter  would  result  in  distinct  loss.  And 
accordingly  we  need  not  shrink  from  the  admission  that 
certain  passages  in  Shakespeare,  Goethe,  Wordsworth, 
Schiller,  profoundly  impress  us  although  their  quality 
could  hardly  be  considered  distinctly  poetic.  We  feel 
instinctively  that  such  passages  have  an  inalienable  place 
in  serious  poetic  creation;  that  intellection  as  a  distinct 
grade  of  theoretic  spirit  is  a  legitimate  adjunct  of  pbetic 
intuition,  and  that  in  portraying  the  problematic  aspects 
of  modern  life,  the  poet  may  profitably  reinforce  the 
strong,  concrete  manner  of  imagination  with  the  more 
refined,  conceptual  procedure  of  intellection. 

We  reach  the  same  conclusion  if  we  set  out  from  a 
different  point  of  approach.  It  is  rightly  maintained  that 
the  portrayal  of  human  emotions  is  the  main  object  of 
poetry.  The  chief  means  to  the  attainment  of  this  object 
is  imagination,  imagination  as  the  "power  to  see  and 
show  things  in  the  concrete  as  if  real":  for  only  when 
things  are  thus  imaginatively  realized  do  they  affect  us 
directly  and  intensely.  Emotions  evoked  through  imagi- 
nation, working  with  sensuous  media — this  is  in  brief 
the  business  of  poetry  from  the  recipient's  point  of  view. 
But  there  is  room  for  the  intellectual  element,  even  if  we 
accept  this  conception  of  poetry.  For  although  commu- 
nication of  emotion  be  regarded  as  poetry's  "sine  qua 
non,"  the  order  of  poetry's  greatness  depends  largely 
upon  the  quality  of  the  enjoyment  afforded.  The  pleas- 
ure given  by  rhythmic  and  formal  beauties,  or  the  pleas- 
ure occasioned  by  mental  reproductions  of  visual,  audi- 
tory or  tactual  impressions  is  plainly  not  so  high  as  that 
which  results  when  formal  and  sensuous  charms  mediate 


INTRODUCTION  25 

profound,  spiritual  realities.  Such  spiritual  realities,  in 
Matthew  Arnold's  comprehensive  sense  of  "all  emotions 
which  are  intimately  connected  with  the  conduct  of  life," 
necessarily  include  much  that  is  essentially  intellectual. 
Not  only  primitive  and  elemental  human  passions  are 
included  here,  but  more  complex  and  refined  ones:  and 
not  only  the  passions  of  the  typical  man,  but  the  moods 
and  sentiments  of  those  extraordinary  persons  as  well 
in  whom  "it  is  possible  to  find  an  almost  dizzy  intensity 
of  excitement  called  forth  by  some  fancied  abstraction, 
remote  altogether  from  the  eyes  and  the  senses  of  men." 
Our  excursus  upon  the  nature  of  poetry  is  so  far  justi- 
fied in  that  it  brings  into  clearer  light  the  purpose  and 
the  results  of  our  "Studies."  These  aim  to  emphasize 
above  all  things  Hebbel's  conspicuous  sensuousness  as 
evidence  of  the  intuitive  temper  of  his  mind  and  as  the 
chief  feature  of  the  distinctively  poetic  quality  of  his 
lyrical  creations.  In  our  opinion  too  little  has  been  said 
about  Hebbel's  acute  sensibility  and  his  passionate  sur- 
render to  the  impressions  of  objective  reality.  We 
should  be  misconstrued,  however,  if  we  should  seem  to 
obscure  the  fact  that  Hebbel,  like  many  others  of  his 
fellow-countrymen,  combined  with  his  avowed  objec- 
tivity an  insistent  subjectivity.  Never  for  a  moment  are 
we  permitted  to  forget  that  his  passion  for  sensuous 
reality  and  formal  beauty  is  due  primarily  to  the  fact 
that  for  him  these  are  cosmically  related  with  profound 
ideas  and  mediate  vague  yet  intense  revelations.  If 
therefore  our  "Studies"  demonstrate  the  distinctive 
poetic  quality  of  Hebbel's  lyrics  by  exhibiting  his  sen- 
suous opulence,  they  do  not  attempt  to  disguise  the 
prominence  there  of  those  refined  intellectual  elements 
that  constitute  an  indispensable  part  of  serious  modern 
art. 


26          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

In  conclusion  a  word  regarding  certain  expressions 
employed  in  our  "Studies."  Much  of  the  controversy 
that  Hebbel's  works  have  evoked  has  been  a  quarrel  over 
terminology.  Thus  Paul  Zincke  censures  A.  Neumann 
for  branding  the  youthful  Hebbel  a  mystic.19  Arno  Scheu- 
nert,  again,  is  forced  to  defend  terms  like  "System," 
"Monad,"  "Entindividualisierung,"  as  employed  in  his 
book  on  Hebbel.20  Such  quarrels  have  not  been  without 
benefit.  Scheunert,  for  example,  driven  to  vindicate  his 
nomenclature,  has  rendered  useful  critical  service  by  the 
way,  reinforcing  his  arguments  here,  adjusting  them  with 
greater  precision  there,  on  the  whole  bracing  and  tighten- 
ing the  frame  of  his  Hebbel  interpretation.  Thus  these 
scholarly  duels  have  stimulated  the  contribution  of  sug- 
gestive principles  of  method,  pragmatic  viewpoints, 
necessarily  along  with  a  certain  quantum  of  negligible 
comment.  We  have  used  the  results  of  these  polemical 
investigations  freely,  yet  without  assuming  to  settle  even 
to  our  own  satisfaction  their  rival  claims.  We  are  free 
to  confess  in  justice  to  Scheunert,  however,  that  he  has 
seemed  to  us  on  the  whole  to  substantiate  his  position. 
And  in  fairness  to  Neumann,  we  cannot  but  admit  that 
Hebbel's  conception  of  the  death  of  the  individual 
through  union  with  the  Idee  has  for  us  a  certain  like- 
ness with  the  mystic's  dream  of  self-annihilation  through 
union  with  God.  And  finally,  if  we  fix  in  mind  the  "sub- 
stance in  vacuo"  of  Spinoza,  "to  be  lost  in  which  would 
be  the  proper  consummation  of  the  transitory  individual 
life,"  then  a  pantheistic  message  may  be  attributed  to 
certain  of  Hebbel's  poems  without  doing  violence  to 


i»  Euphorion,  Bd.  16,  1909,  Heft  1,  S.  147  ff.  Cf.  A.  Neu- 
mann, Aus  Friedrich  Hebbels  Werdezeit,  Zittau,  1899. 

20  See  Arno  Scheunert,  t)ber  Hebbels  asthetische  Weltan- 
schauung, etc.,  Zeitschrift  fur  Aesthetik,  1907,  pp.  70-129. 


INTRODUCTION  27 

their  avowed  content.  Indeed,  to  one  who  is  less  scrupu- 
lous about  names,  Hebbel's  message  seems  only  a  nobler 
elaboration  of  that  "strange  passion  for  nonentity"  that 
greets  us  in  a  variety  of  forms,  beginning  with  the  old 
Indian  dream  of  Nirvana,  running  on  through  Parmen- 
ides  and  Plato,  and  showing  itself  again  in  the  idealism 
of  Hegel. 


CHAPTER  II 
OUTLINE  OF  HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY 

Declaration  of  art's  spiritual  primacy,  homage  to  poetic 
imagination  as  the  supreme  faculty  of  human  conscious- 
ness and  the  unique  revelation  of  the  Weltgeist — so  we 
might  epitomize  Hebbel's  aesthetic  theory.  The  domi- 
nant impulse  of  Hebbel's  life  and  the  informing  spirit 
of  his  art  was  the  conviction  to  which  he  early  attained 
that  in  some  inscrutable  manner  his  poetic  products  were 
sequels  and  symbols  of  nature's  endless  evolution.  His 
personality  and  his  work  resolutely  affirm  that  behind  all 
particular  change  there  lies  a  universal  Idee  and  that  art 
is  an  emanation  and  symbol  of  that  Idee. 

Hebbel  never  pretended  that  he  had  reached  a  final 
solution  of  the  mystery  of  human  life.  He  made  no 
secret  of  his  obstinate  questionings.  He  confessed  to 
moments  when  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  realization  of 
the  Weltidee  is  possible,  whether  positively  "the  ever- 
lasting universe  of  things  flows  through  the  mind," 
whether  inspired  contemplation  of  human  life  and  of 
history  actually  registers  the  world's  forward  march.1 
But  his  ideals  prevailed  in  spite  of  all  doubts.  Vision  of 
the  Idee  and  its  symbolic  revelation  remained  the  ruling 
principle  of  his  life  and  his  art. 

1  The  quotations  from  Hebbel  in  the  following  "Studies" 
are  based  upon :  1.  Friedrich  Hebbel.  Samtliche  Werke.  His- 
torisch-kritische  Ausgabe  besorgt  yon  Richard  Maria  Werner. 
12  vols.  Berlin,  1900-1903.  The  lyric  poems  are  in  volumes  VI 
and  VII.  2.  Friedrich  Hebbel.  Tagebucher.  R.  M.  Werner. 
4  vols.  Berlin,  1903.  In  our  "Studies"  the  abbreviation  "Tgb." 
is  used  to  refer  to  this  work;  the  Roman  figures  refer  to  the 
volume,  the  Arabic  to  the  diary  entries  as  they  are  numbered  in 
this  edition.  The  page  number  is  usually  not  given.  We  retain 
the  orthography  and  punctuation  of  the  Werner  edition. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  29 

So  conceived,  art  becomes  something  elemental  and 
immortal.2  The  artist  collaborates  in  his  works  with  the 
eternal  processes  of  creation,  his  perfect  pieces  are  steps 
in  the  cosmic  sequence.  He  plays  his  part  unwittingly 
and  involuntarily,  just  as  planets  in  their  courses  play 
theirs,  or  as  organisms  in  their  procreation  play  theirs.3 
The  great  poet  achieves  an  anagram  of  creation,  an  in- 
telligized  symbol  of  the  Weltprozess*  Poetry — the  art- 
form  that  particularly  concerned  Hebbel — is  proclaimed 
in  effect  one  with  the  Idee.  In  poetry's  creations  the 
primal  idea  as  it  operates  is  concretely  mediated. 
Poetry's  waters  thus  flow  from  the  central  source;  over 
its  course  alone  can  the  finite  find  its  way  home  to  the 
infinite.  If  man  is  even  dimly  to  apprehend  the  link 
between  Individual  and  Universal,  such  apprehension  can 
come  only  through  the  ministry  of  poetic  intuition.5 

Hebbel  was  ready  to  concede  that  the  sphere  of  art, 
so  understood,  verges  upon  that  of  philosophy  and  of 
religion.  Considered  broadly,  religion,  philosophy  and 
art  are  alike  records  of  the  spirit's  tragic  struggle  to 
burst  through  mortal  confinement.  The  kinship  of  art 


2  The  relation  of  Hebbel's  theory  of  art  to  that  of  Schell- 
ing  is  treated  by  Wilhelm  Waetzoldt,  Hebbel  und  die  Philosophic 
seiner  Zeit,  1903,  Kap.  I.    Schelling's  "Proklamierung  der  Kunst 
als  des  einzigen  wahren  und  ewigen  Organons  und  Dokuments  der 
Philosophic"  doubtless  won  Hebbel's  approval;  but  he  must  have 
turned  away  with  antipathy  when  Schelling,  according  to  Waet- 
zoldt, had  reached  the  point  "wo  Poesie  und  Philosophic  inein- 
ander   iiber — und    aufgingen,    wo    er    Philosophic    dichtete   und 
Poesie  philosophierte."    Cf.  Waetzoldt,  p.  14. 

3  "Ein  Wunder  ist  leichter  zu  wiederholen,  als  zu  erklaren. 
So  setzt  der  Kiinstler  den  Schopfungsact  im  hochsten  Sinne  fort, 
ohne  ihn  begreifen  zu  konnen."    Tgb.  I,  948.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  IV, 
5841 ;  5891 ;  6133. 

4  "Das  ist  auch  das  Zeichen  des  Genies ;  es  steht  immer  in 
Bezug  auf  das  Unendliche  und  erzeugt  in  jeglichem  Werk  ein 
Anagramm  der  Schopfung" ;  Tgb.  I,  747,  p.  164,  Is.  12-4. 

5  Tgb.  I,  417;  548;  575;  946;  948;  1114;  1674.    Tgb.  IV, 
5841 ;  5891 ;  5906. 


30          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

and  religion,  as  Hebbel  understands  them,  is  unmistak- 
able. Symbolism,  which  is  the  vital  breath  and  the  dis- 
tinctive tissue  and  the  native  expressional  form  of  art, 
finds  a  counterpart  in  the  anthropomorphism  of  religion.6 
But  Hebbel  exalts  poetry  above  religion  on  the  basis  of 
primordiality  and  inclusiveness.  Compared  with  reli- 
gion, poetry  is  the  Allumjasserin,  the  fountain-head  that 
feeds  all  religions  and  mythologies,  in  so  far  as  they  are 
intuitive  and  apocalyptic.  In  the  extreme  enthusiasm  of 
youth  he  proclaimed  poetry's  utter  independence  of  alien 
sanction,  pronounced  it  autonomous,  like  Nature,  like 
Divinity,  the  very  sublimate  of  these  two  ultimate 
sources  of  being,  the  procreation  (Fortbilden)  of  the 
supreme  form  and  energy  resident  in  all  given  matter.7 

Most  emphatically  and  persistently  does  Hebbel  differ- 
entiate poetry  and  philosophy.  Whatever  kinship  may 
arise  from  the  similarity  of  their  problems,  their  methods 
are  totally  distinct.  Theoretically,  at  least,  he  is  explicit 
upon  the  distinction  between  the  intuitional  quality  of 
poetry  and  the  intellective  fibre  of  philosophy.  Analyt- 
ically, Dichten  and  Denken  were  scrupulously  kept  apart, 
although  in  his  poetic  performance  the  sharp  demarca- 
tion may  not  always  appear.  But  if  all  his  work  does  not 
bear  out  his  contention  that  creation  and  reflection  are 
distinct,  yet  his  finest  pieces  exhibit  a  unique  creative 
operation  in  which  the  mind's  intellectual,  intuitive  and 
artistic  powers  mysteriously  collaborate.  His  poems  and 
dramas  are  the  product  of  this  unique,  complex  faculty, 
and  not  of  one  or  more  of  its  constituents.  Hebbel  him- 
self was  intensely  conscious  of  the  possession  and  the 
mysterious  operation  of  this  faculty  in  moments  of  in- 
spired exaltation.  And  doubtless  this  intense  conviction 


6  Tgb.  IV,  5841 ;  5847. 

7  Tgb.  I,  641. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  31 

more  than  anything  else  prompted  his  bitter  repudiation 
of  all  critical  efforts  to  bring  his  creations  into  subordi- 
nate alliance  with  any  abstract  philosophic  system. 

The  key  to  Hebbel's  Weltanschauung  is  his  conception 
of  the  duality  of  all  life,  his  apprehension  of  phenomena 
under  their  dual  aspect  as  finite  units  in  an  infinite 
cosmic  sum.  The  mystery  of  the  universe,  the  tragedy 
of  human  life  reduce  themselves  for  Hebbel  to  the  ad- 
justment of  the  individual  items  to  the  universal  total. 
The  gradually  divined  consummation  of  this  adjustment 
is  the  meaning  of  all  creation,  of  Nature,  of  God.8  Art, 
as  exalted  sequel  of  the  cosmic  process,  must  ever  sym- 
bolize this  duality  and  adjustment.  Upon  this  point 
Hebbel  early  reached  certainty  in  developing  his  poetic 
creed;  this  he  emphasized  with  consistency  throughout 
his  entire  career.  In  this  individual-universal  quality  re- 
sides poetry's  point  of  contact  with  actual  life,  with  the 
finite-infinity  that  is  the  vital  attribute  of  human  expe- 
rience. To  impart  this  quality  and  to  mediate  this  attri- 
bute is  to  achieve  highest  realism.  That  poetry  alone  is 
worthy  of  the  name,  that  divines  and  conveys,  with  equal 
fervor,  Part  vanishing  in  All,  wave  merging  with  sea. 
As  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  Hebbel  wrote:  "Wir 
wollen  den  Punct  sehen,  von  welchem  es  (das  Leben) 
ausgeht,  und  den,  wo  es  als  einzelne  Welle  sich  in  das 

Meer  allgemeiner  Wirkung  verliert Hier  ist  die 

Seite,  von  welcher  aus  sich  eine  Parallele  zwischen  den 
Erscheinungen  des  wirklichen  Lebens  und  denen  des  in 
der  Kunst  fixirten  ziehen  lasst."9  This  paradoxical  re- 
quirement, baffling  to  the  intellect  and  senses,  yields  to 
poetic  intuition.  In  the  sphere  of  the  poetic  idea  sud- 


8Tgb.  I,  110;  115;  344;  Tgb.  II,  2262;  2409;  2440;  2566; 
2632-3-4;  2648;  2664;  2721;  3069. 

»  Tgb.  I,  110,  p.  24,1s.  1-3,5-7. 


32          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

denly  arising  before  the  poet's  vision,  attributes  that 
seemed  hostile  fall  into  harmony  and  congruence.  The 
poetic  idea  enables  the  poet  to  symbolize  in  his  completed 
composition  the  bounded  wave  at  the  point  and  in  the 
instant  of  mergence  with  boundless  sea ;  to  fuse  together 
through  an  intuitive  flash  what  the  slow  fire  of  reflection 
could  only  more  hopelessly  separate. 

Immersion  of  individual  in  universal,  mergence  of 
momentary  phenomena  with  eternal  Idee  is  the  essence 
of  inner  form.  Thus  from  one  viewpoint  inner  form 
amounts  to  a  new  focus,  bringing  phenomena  into  rela- 
tions that  transcend  the  conceptual  restrictions  of  time 
and  space.  As  a  sense  of  cosmic  congruence,  inner  form 
is  an  indispensable  element  of  poetic  artistry.  Further- 
more, inner  form  is  the  unique  voucher  of  the  genuine- 
ness of  art,  the  sole  sponsor  for  its  legitimacy.  Nature's 
products  have  adequate  substantiation  in  their  mere  oc- 
currence; art  must  accredit  its  creations  through  the 
sanction  of  a  dimly  divined  and  symbolically  revealed 
correlation  of  individual  to  universal.10  Inner  form  is 
thus  in  effect  the  visionary  realm  of  poetic  inspiration, 
the  transmundane  sphere  where  the  immediate  and  mate- 
rial vanish  in  the  remote  and  spiritual.  The  highest  reve- 
lation of  this  form  is  symbolized  in  death.11  For  Hebbel, 
vision  of  the  Idee  and  symbolic  expression  of  Innere 
Form  are  the  inspiration  and  consummation  of  poetic  art. 
A  poetic  idea  has  come  for  him  when  through  intuition 
life-impressions  new  or  old  are  so  focussed  as  to  en- 
visage the  Idee  and  to  bring  the  temporal  into  inner- 
formal  relation  with  the  eternal.  A  drama  or  a  song  is 
achieved  for  Hebbel  when  his  soul,  fertilized  by  a  poetic 

i°Tgb.  I,  886;  965;  1018;  1761.  Cf.  R.  M.  Meyer,  Zur 

innern  Form,  Euphorion  1897,  pp.  445  ff.  See  also  Coar's  "Studies 

in  German  Literature  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,"  pp.  249  ff. 

"  Tgb.  II,  2846. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  33 

idea,  embodies  impressions  with  such  plastic  firmness  and 
symbolic  power  that  idea  and  inner  form  are  conveyed 
by  symbol  to  the  recipient  as  they  were  revealed  by  vision 
to  the  poet. 

The  sphere  in  which  the  dualistic  principle  of  the  uni- 
verse operates  with  most  telling  force  is  that  of  human 
experience.  The  struggles  that  shape  character,  the  bat- 
tles of  emotion  and  of  mood,  the  gleams  and  shadows 
of  presage  and  dream,  the  jolts  and  glides  and  blows  and 
caresses  that  report  a  ruthless  non-self  pitted  against  an 
assertive  self — these  are  the  tissue  of  poetic  art.  And 
with  Hebbel  they  are  healthy,  life-bringing  tissue.  His 
Weltanschauung  is  not  deadening,  his  poetic  message 
does  not  instill  despair.  Though  he  sees  the  whole  go 
imperiously  on,  heedless  of  the  human  part,  his  vision 
of  the  universal  scheme  is  imbued  with  heroic  austerity. 
Hebbel's  profound  dramas  develop  within  the  sweep  of 
cosmic  evolution  vital  human  situations.  The  individ- 
ual's transient  self-assertion  solidifies  into  a  palpable  con- 
crete obstacle  to  ideal  progress.  This  obstacle  can  be 
surmounted  only  by  submergence  of  the  individual  in  the 
purpose  of  the  Idee.12  Hebbel's  distinctive  tragic  mes- 


12  Waetzoldt  emphasizes  Hebbel's  indebtedness  here  to 
Hegel, — Scheunert  and  others  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
In  this  connection  Waetzoldt  deplores  the  ambiguity  of  Hebbel's 
terminology  with  reference  to  the  "Idee."  Thus  Hebbel  applies 
the  term  on  the  one  hand  to  the  universal  process,  the  absolute, 
and  on  the  other  hand  to  the  social  unity,  "Einheit  der  Mensch- 
heit."  In  specific  dramas  of  Hebbel's  the  "Idee"  suffers  further 
modification  into  "Partialideen,"  such  as  those  of  morality,  the 
state,  the  family  (Waetzoldt,  pp.  43  ff.).  It  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  Hebbel  would  have  passed  over  such  ambiguity  without 
comment  had  he  conceded  its  presence.  The  "Weltprinzip,"  if 
it  is  to  afford  poetic  inspiration,  must  of  necessity  suffer  "Ver- 
dichtung."  The  pure  theorist  might  indeed  think  of  the  "Idee" 
as  "Weltgeist,"  universe;  the  poet  is  forced  to  discern  it  within 
certain  empirical  bounds,  and  to  embody  it  in  some  mortal  sym- 
bol. Hebbel's  nomenclature  would  seem  adequately  vindicated 
if  the  social  unity,  or  the  state,  or  the  family  served  as  sensuous 


34          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

sage  lies  in  the  guilt  ascribed  to  individuality,  irrespective 
of  moral  erring.  Not  in  consequence  of  willing  sinfully, 
but  of  willing  at  all,  of  maintaining  his  individual  iden- 
tity, his  secession  from  the  universal  unity,  does  man 
incur  guilt  and  suffer  woe.13  But  such  guilt  is  com- 
mendable because  necessary,  such  woe  is  tolerable  be- 
cause teleologic.  The  individual  is  a  prerequisite  stage 
of  the  universal.  The  individual's  dogged  self-assertion 
as  well  as  his  ruthless  submergence — Entindividual- 
isierung — are  alike  indispensable  to  cosmic  progress.  A 
grim,  depressing  world-concept  this,  viewed  from  one 
position.  Above,  beneath,  everywhere  round,  an  infinite 
All ;  swarming  in  this,  like  motes  in  a  sunbeam,  obscuring 
yet  revealing  the  central  light,  are  unnumbered  finite  par- 
ticles that  live  their  brief  life,  yet  eventually  vanish  mote 
by  mote  in  the  All  from  which  they  have  seceded.  Rightly 
approached,  however,  Hebbel's  message  may  implant 
within  us  convictions  that  enrich  the  heart  and  bear  fruit 
in  heroic  effort.  His  vision  may  stir  our  imaginations 
to  conceive  the  world  as  a  sublime  organism,  compact 
of  countless  animate  parts  and  quickened  with  the  tragic 
struggles  of  countless  assimilated  forces;  a  trans-human 
Idee,  humanized  by  supreme  consciousness  of  the  finite 
destinies  fused  with  Infinite  Being.14 

The  revelation  of  the  eternal  process,  which  makes  the 
existence  of  the  individual  at  once  an  obstacle  to  and  an 
indispensable  condition  of  the  world's  consummation, 

media  through  which  the  abstract  "Idee"  of  the  philosopher  may 
be  symbolized  and  a  sense  of  the  universal  and  the  absolute  be 
palpably  conveyed. 

13  Cf.  H.  Krumm,  Friedrich  Hebbel  als  Tragiker,  Z'ft.  fur 
deut.  Phil.,  Bd.  38,  S.  118ff. 

14  This  pantheistic  vision  of  life,  most  marked  in  certain 
early  poems,  is  present  in  a  number  of  Hebbel's  later  utterances. 
Cf.  Neumann,  Aus  Fried.  Hebbels  Werdezeit,  Zittau,  1899,  pp.  7, 
10,  14;  Scheunert,  Der  Pantragismus,  etc.,  Hamburg  u.  Leipzig, 
1903,  p.  13;  Waetzoldt,  pp.  11  ff. 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  35 

greets  us  in  varying  degrees  in  all  Hebbel's  poetry;  con- 
sistently and  convincingly  in  his  dramas,  obscurely,  yet 
fervidly  and  with  a  strange  fascination  in  many  of  his 
lyrics.  In  the  finest  pieces  the  technic  of  inner  form  ap- 
pears so  perfected  that  the  claims  of  the  Idee  are  accent- 
uated precisely  through  the  determined  self-assertion  of 
the  individual. 

To  the  poet  in  exalted  moments  come  illuminating 
vistas  of  the  Idee  in  its  transcendent  sweep.  Such  vistas 
raise  human  existence — or  the  particular  phase  of  it  in 
question — into  unwonted  light,  endow  experience  with 
new  significance  and  ennoble  all  those  external  and  inter- 
nal phenomena  of  which  life  is  composed.  The  poet's 
aim  must  ever  be  to  mediate  such  luminous  vistas,  to 
focus  the  vision  suddenly  glimpsed  through  complex 
character,  tragic  experience,  stormy  passion,  lurking  and 
elusive  mood.  This  cannot  be  done  merely  by  formu- 
lating the  message  in  philosophic  terms,  even  though  the 
abstract  texture  be  enlivened  by  threads  of  concrete 
imagery.  Rather  must  the  revelation  be  of  such  proto- 
plasmic virtue  as  to  fecundate  the  spirit;  the  seed,  se- 
cretly maturing,  must  suddenly  emerge  as  new  life,  bear- 
ing the  features  of  the  parental  Idee.  The  poet's  work 
is  perfect  if  it  awaken  in  others  an  exalted  mood  in  which 
the  portrayal  of  the  temporal  brings  intimations  of  the 
eternal. 

That  Hebbel's  critical  formulae  were  inexorably  dog- 
matic, in  some  respects  even  narrow,  cannot  be  surpris- 
ing. His  philosophy  of  life  is  distinguished  by  a  stimu- 
lating tragic  austerity.  His  theory  of  poetry  is  like  unto 
it,  a  theory  that  makes  artistic  intuition  the  unique  sol- 
vent of  the  supposedly  insoluble.  Unequivocal  and 
unyielding,  accordingly,  is  his  insistence  upon  what  he 
regarded  as  the  indispensable  requisites  of  poetry.  First, 


36          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

a  poetic  idea,  a  glimpse  of  the  eternal  interpenetrating 
the  ephemeral,  as  the  only  inspiration  productive  of  great 
poetry,  the  only  impulse  suited  to  impart  inner  form. 
The  second  prerequisite  is  plasticity,  concrete  expression 
of  the  idea,  symbolic  embodiment  of  inner  form  through 
sensuous  media.  Ruthless  is  Hebbel's  denunciation  of  all 
art  that  is  deficient  in  these  staple  qualities.  In  the  pure 
union  of  the  two,  in  the  perfect  transfusion  of  poetic 
idea  and  sensuous  media,  Hebbel  sees  the  consummation 
of  art,  namely  intuitive  realization  and  symbolic  media- 
tion of  the  great  cosmic  mystery. 

Deficiency  in  the  first  essential — the  particular  im- 
mersed in  the  universal,  wave  melting  into  boundless 
sea — how  often  in  Hebbel's  judgment  does  this  consign 
to  inferiority  what  convention  pronounces  superb.  No 
amount  of  technical  dexterity,  no  plasticity  of  imagina- 
tion or  expression  can  adequately  compensate  for  ab- 
sence of  poetic  idea.  Vision  of  the  Idee  in  art  work  is 
the  distinctive  mark  of  genius,  for  it  is  the  inalienably 
personal  note  of  the  work,  the  one  particular  Erlebnis 
that  could  come  in  just  that  form  and  in  no  other  to  just 
that  person  and  to  no  other.  Hebbel's  sweeping  charge 
against  the  Musenalmanach  for  1837  rests  precisely  upon 
deficiency  in  this  quality.15  Most  scathing  is  his  denun- 
ciation of  Riickert,  who  spreads  out  his  graces  of  form 
and  expression  much  as  a  peacock  displays  its  tail.  If 
art  means  nothing  more  than  to  bend  into  easily  flowing 
verse  the  momentary  hues,  the  kaleidoscopic  impressions, 
the  scurrying  whims,  conceits  and  reflections  of  the 
brain,  then  Hebbel  has  only  contempt  for  it.16  Heine, 
whatever  his  native  endowment  may  be,  prostitutes  the 
high  office  of  art.  For  Hebbel,  the  weakness  and  falsity 

"  Tgb.  I,  641. 
i«  Tgb.  I,  538. 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  37 

of  Heine's  poetic  style  lies  in  its  unsettled  impurity.  He 
does  not  await  the  poetic  idea;  he  does  not  allow  inner 
calm  to  allay  the  agitated  elements  and  purge  disturbing 
sediments.  Into  an  unseasoned  mass  he  hurls  a  brand  of 
flaming  wit,  but  no  phenix  rises  fair  from  the  altar 
ashes.17  Even  Kleist's  "Kathchen  von  Heilbronn,"  which 
formed  one  of  the  sweetest  of  Hebbel's  early  literary 
inspirations,  could  not  survive  his  later  incisive  analysis. 
Its  failure  to  stand  the  supreme  test — embodiment  of  the 
dualism  of  all  existence — forced  Hebbel  reluctantly  to 
put  away  this  favorite  work  of  his  youth  as  no  longer 
suited  to  his  maturer  demands.  Though  still  susceptible 
to  Kathchen's  romantic  beauty,  Hebbel  could  not  brook 
a  certain  defect  in  motivation,  an  inner  fallacy  that  to 
his  mind  obscured  the  exalted  contours  of  the  Idee.18 
Although  he  finds  the  conflict  between  individual  and 
Weltprozess  vaguely  sketched  in  certain  dramas  of 
Byron,  yet  there  is  no  reassuring  vision  of  the  Idee  that 
both  awakens  awe  and  exacts  approval.19  Hebbel  deeply 
resents  the  comparisons  often  made  between  himself  and 
Grabbe,  whom  he  despises  for  his  vain  effort  to  escape 
triviality  by  arbitrarily  combining  particular  phenom- 
ena— in  defiance  of  the  Idee.20 

In  utterances  such  as  the  foregoing,  Hebbel  sternly 
spurns  so-called  poets  to  whom  the  all-revealing  vision  is 
not  vouchsafed.  But  he  is  quite  as  denunciatory  of  those 
who  seek  to  diffuse  the  spirit  of  revelation  by  means  of 


"  Tgb.  I,  1099. 
is  Tgb.  Ill,  3323. 

19  Tgb.  Ill,  3487. 

20  Tgb.  Ill,  3795. 

It  is  largely  the  same  deficiency  that  constitutes  the  brunt  of 
Hebbel's  criticism  of  Tieck  (Tgb.  I,  989;  Tgb.  Ill,  3880); 
Oehlenschlager  (Tgb.  I,  594);  Steffens  (Tgb.  II,  2385;  Tgb.  Ill, 
4343);  Wieland  (Tgb.  Ill,  3287);  Schiller's  Jungfrau  von 
Orleans  (Tgb.  Ill,  4221,  Is.  165  ff.)  ;  Gutzkow,  in  his  more  pre- 
tentious works  (Tgb.  Ill,  3852)  ;  and  others. 


38          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

philosophical  doctrinizing  or  metaphysical  speculation. 
Here  his  sharp  distinction  between  intellection  and  intui- 
tion becomes  especially  apparent.  Even  conceding  that 
in  their  effort  to  solve  the  master-mystery,  poetry  and 
philosophy  start  out  over  the  same  road,  incontestably 
they  reach  a  parting  of  the  ways  before  their  quest  is 
fairly  begun.  For  upon  poetry  are  imposed  formal 
requirements  from  which  philosophy  is  relieved,  require- 
ments that  philosophy  is  incapable  of  fulfilling.  Poetry 
alone  can  intuitively  apprehend  and  sensuously  embody 
the  Idee.  To  poetry  alone  is  accorded  the  power  of  vital- 
izing an  illuminating  idea  by  endowing  it  with  attributes 
of  substantial  reality.21  Again  and  again  Hebbel  harks 
back  to  the  chief  article  of  his  aesthetic  creed,  he  asserts 
over  and  over  again  that  the  aim  and  object  of  great 
poetry  is  to  make  the  cosmic  process  sensuously  appre- 
hensible.22 If  it  is  essential  that  the  particular  be  trans- 
figured into  the  universal,  it  is  equally  essential  that  the 
ethereal  Idee  solidify  into  palpable  form.23  Reflective, 
descriptive  or  expository  verse  is  not  poetry  at  all,  for 
it  defines  what  it  should  create,  dismembers  and  thus 
destroys  what  it  should  embody  and  imbue  with  life.24 
Exposition  of  philosophical  ideas  is  as  little  the  business 
of  the  poet  as  demonstration  of  mathematical  laws  is  that 
of  the  composer.25  The  more  an  art-work's  central  ideas 
depart  from  the  concrete,  the  less  often  will  the  incarna- 
tion of  these  ideas  in  their  sensuous  correlates  be  se- 
cured.26 Externality,  plasticity,  Anschauung  characterize 


21  Tgb.  I,  1673. 

22Tgb.  I,  110;  126;  887;  1471,  Is.  82  ff.  and  elsewhere. 

23  "Der  gemeine  Stoff  muss  sich  in  eine  Idee  auflosen  und 
die  Idee  sich  wieder  zur  Gestalt  verdichten."     Tgb.  I,  1232,  Is. 
2-4.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1098. 

24  Tgb.  111,4030;  5159. 

25  Tgb.  Ill,  4576. 
2«  Tgb.  Ill,  4360. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  39 

the  productive  function  of  genius;  hollow  abstraction, 
reflection  stamp  the  inferior  reproductive  activity  of 
talent.27  The  importance  that  Hebbel  attaches  to  the 
outer  world  springs  from  his  conception  of  conscious 
experience  in  general.  Full  self-realization  for  him  is 
dependent  upon  an  external  medium.  It  follows  as  a 
logical  corollary  that  the  poet  must  resort  to  the  outer 
and  visible  if  he  would  ever  hope  to  communicate  the 
inner  and  invisible.28  The  lifelikeness  of  great  produc- 
tions, the  realism  of  fine  dramatic  characterization  are 
due  to  the  presence  throughout  of  appropriate  material 
and  spiritual  atmosphere.29  Through  such  atmosphere 
the  poet  gives  form  and  substance  to  the  soul  of  nature, 
objectifies  the  Idee,  the  necessary  and  inevitable  course 
of  universal  progress,  and  so  reaches  the  height  of 
Darstellung?0 

With  utmost  impartiality  Hebbel  applies  his  test  of 
exteriority  to  the  productions  of  specific  authors,  quite 
unconcerned  whether  or  not  his  results  agree  with  con- 
ventional opinion.  Thus  he  commends  Laube's  con- 
scientious concern  for  the  "medium"  of  his  characters, 
yet  cannot  condone  absence  of  the  really  vital  factor: 
"das  Allgemeine  bildet  sich  in  ihnen  nicht  zu  einem 
Besonderen  aus."31  While  Hebbel  shared  the  general 
admiration  for  Goethe  and  Uhland,  he  does  not  spare 
their  works  when  they  seem  to  violate  the  principle  of 
exteriority.32 

27Tgb.  Ill,  4413;  5159;  Tgb.  IV,  5479. 

28  "Der  Dichter  muss  durchaus  nach  dem  Aeusseren,  dem 
Sichtbaren,  Begranzten,  Endlichen  greifen,  wenn  er  das  Innere, 
Unsichtbare,  Unbegranzte,  Unendliche  darstellen  will."  Tgb.  II, 
2318,  Is.  8-10.  Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1587;  Tgb.  II,  1879. 

2»  Tgb.  111,4271;  5178;  5182. 

30  Tgb.  Ill,  4396. 

31  Tgb.  I,  960. 

32  Uhland's  Herzog  Ernst,  for  instance,  gives  us  a  decla- 
mation on  loyalty  instead  of  embodying  loyalty  itself   (Tgb.  II, 


40          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Of  course  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  wherever  the  two 
salient  elements  heretofore  discussed  are  found  we  in- 
variably have  great  art.  So  complex  a  matter  is  not 
simply  the  sum  of  its  parts.  It  is  obvious  that  for  Heb- 
bel  the  requirements  of  perfect  poetry  are  unfulfilled  if 
the  corporeal  and  the  spiritual  are  not  interfused,  if  the 
inner  vision  does  not  enter  into  perfect  amalgam  with 
the  expressional  media.  Neither  vision  alone,  nor  sen- 
suousness  alone,  will  suffice.  Even  the  presence  of  both 
elements  will  not  suffice,  unless  there  is  reciprocal  coin- 
cidence, unless  the  one  is  completely  immersed  in  the 
other.  Anschauung,  the  indispensable  faculty  of  the 
artist,  involves  simultaneous  birth  of  idea  and  medium. 
Hence  Hebbel's  denunciation  of  sensuous  opulence  that 
is  not  the  genuine  product  of  Anschauung.33  In  the  sec- 
ond part  of  Faust  the  high  aim  of  great  art  is  not  reached 
because  a  naive  and  sensuous  mythology  is  here  em- 
ployed as  mere  decoration  for  profound  ideas;  the  two 
are  not  the  indissoluble  product  of  one  creative  act.34 
Hebbel's  criticisms  of  Schiller's  creations  condense  to 
the  charge  that  reflection  constitutes  their  main  staple. 
Invariably,  Schiller's  starting  point  is  the  universal, 
which  the  particular  serves  merely  to  illustrate.  His 
dramas  are  parables,  comparisons,  graphic  expositions 
of  ideas,  not  symbolic  embodiments  of  them.35  The 
dramas  of  Victor  Hugo — though  genuine  creations  of 
fantasy  and  not  mere  arithmetical  problems — are  none 
the  less  abortions  in  Hebbel's  opinion.36  He  makes  the 


2265).  In  Goethe's  "Wahlverwandtschaften"  the  effect  of  the 
whole  would  have  been  greatly  enhanced  for  Hebbel  had  Goethe 
concretized  the  deep  significance  of  marriage  for  the  "Idee," 
instead  of  reasoning  about  it  (Tgb.  Ill,  4357). 

ss  Tgb.  Ill,  4417.    Cf .  Tgb.  II,  2034. 

84  Tgb.  Ill,  3469. 

35  Tgb.  I,  1024;  Tgb.  IV,  5327. 

3«  Tgb.  IV,  6135. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  41 

general  charge  against  French  poets  that  with  them  fan- 
tasy seems  incapable  of  wedding  itself  with  "Art-sense" 
(Kunstv er stand) .  Alike  distasteful  to  him  are  the 
"Ideal"  of  the  French  classic  tragedies  and  the  "Natur- 
alism" of  the  Romanticists.  For  each  seems  to  him  "a 
hollow  abstraction."  With  the  French  poets  everything 
must  either  evaporate  into  volatile  gas  or  reduce  into 
dead  ashes.  Unknown  to  them  is  the  genial  middle 
course,  where  phenomena  enjoy  their  full  prerogatives 
yet  do  not  obscure  or  violate  the  Idee,  that  eternal  neces- 
sity whence  they  sprang.37 

Just  appreciation  of  Hebbel's  art-criteria  goes  far 
toward  explaining  his  high  estimate  of  his  own  poetic 
greatness  and  tends  to  justify  his  persistent  assertion  of 
spiritual  independence.  That  certain  germinal  ideas  of 
his  have  a  close  kinship  with  philosophic  doctrines  of 
Schelling,  Solger,  Hegel,  and  Schopenhauer  cannot  be 
denied.  Hebbel  frankly  admitted  that  Hegel's  concep- 
tion of  guilt  was  identical  with  his  own.38  He  acknowl- 
edged that  Schopenhauer's  Weltanschauung  and  his  own 
were  akin.39  On  the  other  hand  he  stoutly  insisted  that 
his  works  were  the  products  of  a  mysterious  spiritual 
process,  that  they  were  essentially  independent  of  and 
superior  to  any  and  all  philosophic  ideas.40  There  is  little 
to  be  gained  by  further  investigation  of  Hebbel's  indebt- 
edness to  theories  current  in  his  day.  There  must  in- 
evitably remain  as  insoluble  residue  of  such  investiga- 


37  Tgb.  IV,  6135. 

38  Tgb.  II,  3088. 

39  Waetzoldt,  p.  64. 

40  As  R.  Petsch  points  out,  one  must  sharply  distinguish 
between  Beruhrung,  Angleichung,  on  the  one  hand  and  Abhdng- 
igkeit  on  the  other  in  judging  Hebbel's  relation  to  the  ideas  of 
his  time.     See  R.  Petsch,  Zur  Einfuhrung  in  das  Studium  Fried- 
rich  Hebbels,  Germanisch-Romanische  Monatsschrift,  1  Jahrgang, 
1  Halbband,  1909,  S.  23. 


42          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tion  the  question  as  to  how  far  such  theories  lie  outside 
the  sphere  of  individual  creation,  how  far  they  are  con- 
stitutional tendencies,  "persuasions,  forecasts  of  the  in- 
tellect itself."  As  such  they  might  conceivably  be  ex- 
hibited by  minds  having  otherwise  little  kinship,  work- 
ing in  different  fields  and  independently  of  one  another. 
In  the  philosophy  of  Plato  even,  with  all  its  seeming 
freshness,  "nothing  but  the  life-giving  principle  of  cohe- 
sion is  new;  the  new  perspective,  the  resultant  com- 
plexion, the  expressiveness  which  familiar  thoughts  at- 
tain by  novel  juxtaposition.  In  other  words,  the  form  is 
new.  But  then,  in  the  creation  of  philosophical  literature, 
as  in  all  other  products  of  art,  form,  in  the  full  significa- 
tion of  that  word,  is  everything,  and  the  mere  matter 
nothing."41 

Similarly  Hebbel  repeatedly  maintains  that  mere  mat- 
ter is  of  secondary  interest :  "Es  bleibt  immer  nur  die  eine 
Frage  nach  der  hochsten,  vollendetsten  Form,  denn  der 
Gehalt,  so  oder  so  verstreut,  ist  iiberall.  Und  da  stellt 
sich  das  Verhaltniss  zwischen  Kunst  und  Philosophic  so 
heraus,  dass  jene  diese  Form  ist,  diese  aber  ihre  Probe."42 
He  implies  here  that  the  poet  has  free  access  to  all  mate- 
rials. The  stores  of  universal  life  and  knowledge  are  at 
his  disposal.  And  we  have  ample  evidence  that  Hebbel 
put  this  theory  into  practice.  He  impressed  Kuh  as  one 
who  consumed  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.43  His 
fellow  men,  their  soul-conflicts  and  struggles  with  envi- 
ronment, their  summary  of  human  existence  as  regis- 
tered in  their  works  and  revealed  in  their  inner  life — all 


41  Walter  Pater,   Plato  and   Platonism,   Chapter  I    (Mac- 
millan  &  Co.,  1910,  p.  8). 

42  Tgb.  II,  3135. 

43  Kuh   calls  him  a  "Gehirnraubtier"   and  quotes  him   as 
saying,  "Ich  bedarf  der  grossen  Stadt,  ich  verzehre  Menschen" 
(Kuh,  Biographic  Fried.  Hebbels,  Wien,  1877,  II,  p.  669). 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  43 

this  was  spiritual  food  for  Hebbel.  From  reading  and 
study,  from  personal  associations  and  fellowships,  from 
reflections  and  visions  in  solitary  moments  he  gathered 
and  assimilated  his  nurture.  Undeniably,  valuable  ser- 
vice has  been  rendered  by  those  who  have  examined  the 
nature  and  source  of  his  supplies  and  have  disengaged 
and  analyzed  all  that  yielded  heat  and  energy  and  tissue 
in  especially  rich  measure.  But  strong  emphasis  must 
be  put  upon  what  is  so  obvious  and  consequently  so  un- 
impressive, namely  that  vital  tissue,  once  formed,  is 
something  distinct  from  any  and  every  thing  that  may 
have  contributed  to  its  formation.  Hamlet  is  not  Saxo 
Grammaticus,  the  fate  of  Hebbel's  Agnes  Bernauer  is 
not  Hegel's  Schuldbe griff.  Waiving  the  question  of  pre- 
cedence or  of  superiority,  Hebbel's  dictum  is  eternally 
true,  that  "Gehalt,  so  oder  so  verstreut,  ist  iiberall."  The 
form  that  the  poet  gives  to  mere  matter,  from  whatever 
source  drawn,  is  the  only  true  index  of  his  work,  the  only 
valid  measure  of  its  character  and  greatness.44 

The  chief  claim  to  distinction  in  Hebbel's  work  rests 
in  its  form, — employing  this  term  in  Hebbel's  broad  sense 
of  it.  Because  Hebbel  felt  that  this  most  essential  ele- 
ment in  his  work  was  new,  he  resented  all  imputation 
of  Hegelianism.  The  constituent  particles  may  have 
lived  before  in  other  organisms,  but  the  precise  cohesion 
that  they  observe  in  his  completed  pieces  is  unique.  Of 
this  he  felt  sure,  and  this  no  impartial  criticism  will  dis- 
allow. 

To  contribute  this  prime  element  of  form  many  factors 
must  co-operate.  In  Hebbel's  case  the  predominance  of 
emotion,  the  essentially  intuitive  nature  of  his  inspira- 


44  "So  wenig  das  abgezapfte  Blut  der  Mensch  ist,  so  wenig 
ist  der  auf  Sentenzen  gezogene  Gedanken-Gehalt  das  Gedicht," 
Tgb.  II,  2786. 


44          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tion,  the  plastic  firmness  and  fulness  of  his  imagination 
are  all-important.  A  significant  factor  in  Hebbel's  poetic 
form  is  the  prominence  allotted  to  the  insoluble,  to  the 
incommunicable  that  lures  and  eludes  mortal  percep- 
tion.45 As  we  have  seen,  Hebbel  banishes  reflection  from 
the  realm  of  poetry,  for  the  first  because  it  slays  where 
it  should  endow  with  life.  Reflection  further  thwarts 
the  purpose  of  art  by  pretensions  to  definiteness  and  final- 
ity, qualities  that  impose  intolerable  restrictions  upon 
prophetic  imagination.  To  mortal  compassed  about  by 
finite  limitations,  art  brings  word  of  the  Infinite;  not 
in  succinctly  formulated  revelations,  but  in  fervid  visions 
in  which  each  unfolded  vista  outlines  others  still  veiled. 
On  the  horizon  of  the  poet's  new  land  rise  dim  ink- 
lings of  worlds  unexplored.  Much  of  the  power  of 
Hebbel's  symbolism  comes  from  this  suggestion  of  mys- 
tery yet  unsolved.  The  common  intellect,  which  desires 
to  move  in  certain  paths,  regards  such  symbolic  sugges- 
tion of  the  unknown  as  intolerable  obscurity.  Commend 
it  to  reflective  poetry,  which  is  succinct  and  conclusive. 
The  average  man  wants  his  problems  settled.  He  favors 
such  poetry  as  will  afford  him  mental  relief,  a  holiday 
light-heartedness  and  a  complacent  assurance  that  he  has 
extracted  all  the  reflective  wisdom  that  the  poet  has 
injected.  In  sharpest  contrast  with  this  cocksure  com- 
placency of  message  and  medium  stands  Hebbel's  doc- 
trine of  the  mysterious  symbolism  of  art,  his  requirement 
of  an  indecipherable  remainder  in  all  serious  creation: 
"Jedes  echte  Kunstwerk  ist  ein  geheimnissvolles,  viel- 
deutiges,  in  gewissem  Sinn  unergriindliches  Symbol.  Je 


45  Cf.  Goethe's  insistence  upon  the  incomprehensible  and 
incommensurable  in  poetry  (Eckermann's  "Gesprache,"  May  6, 
1827;  March  8,  1831).  Dilthey  interprets  this  incommensurable 
as  the  absence  of  an  abstract  idea  underlying  the  poetic  creation 
(Das  Erlebnis  und  die  Dichtung,  Leipzig,  1906,  pp.  138  ff.)- 


HEBBEL'S  .ESTHETIC  THEORY  45 

mehr  nun  eine  Dichtung  aus  dem  blossen  Gedanken 
hervor  ging,  je  weniger  ist  sie  dies,  um  so  eher  wird  sie 
also  verstanden  und  aufgefasst,  um  so  sichrer  aber  auch 
bald  ausgeschopft  und  als  unbrauchbare  Muschel,  die 
ihre  Perle  hergab,  bei  Seite  geworfen.  Der  sog.  Lehr- 
dichter  liefert  gar  statt  des  Rathsels,  das  uns  allein  inter- 
essirt,  die  nackte,  kahle  Auflosung.  Dichten  heisst  nicht 
Leben-Entziffern,  sondern  Leben-Schaffen  !"46 

Such  a  conception  pf  art-symbolism  naturally  led  Heb- 
bel  to  favor  the  introduction  of  the  supernatural  into 
poetry — the  supernatural  rightly  understood  and  prop- 
erly restricted.  This  supernatural  element  must  be  no 
mere  Spieler ei  as  in  Wieland's  Oberon;  it  must  be  of 
sterner  stuff  and  of  more  serious  purpose,  springing 
from  mysterious  phases  of  nature  and  of  human  life, 
resting  upon  the  incomprehensible  yet  well-authenticated 
communion  between  microcosm  and  macrocosm.47  Heb- 
bel  has  in  mind  not  those  excrescences  of  the  super- 
natural, not  ghosts  or  phantoms  or  fairies,  primarily. 
He  refers  rather  to  elemental  and  universal  phases  of 
experience,  to  haunting  dreams,  strange  obsessions, 
ominous  apprehensions  of  a  secret  presence  in  nature, 
of  a  strange  power  there  to  depart  from  the  usual,  the 
natural.  Such  premonitions  may  be  better  attuned  to 
the  Idee  than  the  so-called  normal  and  natural.48  Ac- 
cordingly he  defends  the  mystical  elements  of  his  poem 
Vater  und  Sohn  (VI,  427)  as  being  fully  justified  by 
the  underlying  idea.49  For  the  same  reason  he  vindicates 
the  mythical  and  mystical  basis  of  his  Nibelungen  as  in 
no  wise  incompatible  with  a  tragedy  in  which  the  inter- 


ne Tgb.  II,  2265,  Is.  10-19.     Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1057;   1164; 
1171;  1339. 

47  Tgb.  II,  3287. 
4«  Tgb.  IV,  5644. 
49  Tgb.  I,  1006. 


46          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ests  and  motives  are  purely  human.  The  Idee  is  not 
restricted  in  its  operation  to  this  limited  group  of  phe- 
nomena that  constitutes  our  mundane  life.  From  the 
central  cosmic  source  issue  countless  other  spheres  un- 
fettered by  our  notions  of  natural  and  supernatural. 
The  mysticism  of  his  Nibelungen  "soil  hochstens  daran 
erinnern,  dass  in  dem  Gedicht  nicht  die  Secunden-Uhr, 
die  das  Daseyn  der  Miicken  und  Ameisen  abmisst,  son- 
dern  nur  die  Stunden-Uhr  schlagt."50  Hebbel  finds  mys- 
tery enough  to  justify  his  attitude  in  man  himself,  in  his 
physical  and  spiritual  attributes,  in  the  clash  between 
conscience  and  reason  on  the  one  hand  and  rebellious 
desires  on  the  other — a  clash  that  seems  the  very  point 
of  tangency  of  the  Idee  and  the  individual  in  the  con- 
stitution of  humans.51 

This  leads  us  briefly  to  consider  the  mystery  attributed 
by  Hebbel  to  the  poetic  act  itself.  We  appreciate  the 
dangers  of  accepting  unconditionally  a  poet's  dicta  upon 
the  operation  of  his  own  poetic  faculty.52  The  conten- 
tion has  gained  some  acceptance  that  one  may  easily  be 
misled  into  unwarranted  inferences  by  deferring  unre- 
servedly to  Hebbel's  analysis  of  his  art.  Yet  it  seems 
fair  to  ask  what,  in  all  reason,  could  possibly  afford 
safer  guidance  to  right  impressions  of  a  complex  poetic 
genius  than  the  explicit  self-analysis  of  that  genius? 
Undoubtedly  theory  and  practice  must  not  be  divorced, 


«>Tgb.  IV,  5933,  Is.  5-8. 

"  Tgb.  IV,  5933. 

02  Cf.  Arno  Scheunert,  Dber  Hebbel's  Aesthetische  Welt- 
anschauung und  Methoden  ihrer  Feststellung,  Ztschft.  f.  Aesthe- 
tik,  1907,  pp.  70-129.  In  this  very  able  article  Scheunert  does  full 
justice  to  the  difficulties  that  beset  critics  in  their  effort  to  bring 
Hebbel's  theories  into  exact  alignment  with  his  practice  and 
with  his  estimate  of  others'  works.  To  make  practice  the  test 
of  theory  is  not  always  satisfactory,  inasmuch  as  estimates  of 
practice  involve  a  personal  element  and  are  consequently  likely 
to  be  divergent.  A  case  in  point  is  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry,  which 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  47 

the  works  must  supplement  the  poet's  analysis  of  their 
conception.  But  is  this  method  quite  free  from  danger? 
Are  we  not  very  apt  to  confuse  what  really  is  present 
in  Hebbel's  art  with  what  we  are  able  to  find  there? 
We  have  in  Hebbel  a  solendid  example  of  rich,  native 
endowment  fashioned  into  high  use  by  bitterly  contend- 
ing forces.  No  one  watched  with  deeper  interest  or 
noted  with  more  minute  care  the  growth  of  that  endow- 
ment than  the  poet  himself.  We  are  convinced  there- 
fore that  no  one  peered  more  deeply  than  he  into  the 
nature  of  that  endowment  or  estimated  more  accurately 
the  forces  that  moulded  it.  It  is  in  part  this  conviction 
that  disposes  us  to  defer  to  Hebbel  when  there  is  a  clash 
of  opinion;  to  accept,  for  instance,  his  stout  assertion 
of  independence,  however  critics  may  vie  in  magnifying 
his  indebtedness  to  this  or  that  philosophy.  Now,  if  the 
poet's  self-analysis  carries  weight  in  estimating  his  gen- 
eral aesthetic  creed,  his  conception  of  the  Idee  and  of 
tragic  guilt,  quite  as  authoritative  must  be  his  self- 
inspection  upon  the  important  side  of  the  nature  and 
operation  of  the  poetic  faculty.  One  is  forced  to  object, 
therefore,  when  utterances  of  Hebbel  involving  minute 
introspection  are  lightly  dismissed  for  one  reason  or 
another — as  smacking  of  youthful  exaggeration,  or  as 
betraying  immature  judgment,  or  as  evincing  lapse  of 


for  Scheunert  constitutes  confirmation  of  his  Pantragismus- 
theory,  whereas  his  critics  see  in  that  poetry  a  refutation  of 
Scheunert's  view.  Scheunert  gets  close  to  the  root  of  the  diffi- 
culty when  he  says  in  effect  that  to  comprehend  a  poet's  aesthetic 
principles  is  one  thing,  to  share  the  underlying  experiences  of 
those  principles  and  to  recognize  their  application  in  specific  art- 
works is  quite  another.  He  makes  the  point  that  our  appre- 
ciation can  be  but  a  faint  reflection  of  the  poet's  own  pleasure 
in  his  spiritual  creation.  As  the  offspring  of  a  passionate 
Erlebnis,  the  poem  has  a  power  and  a  content  for  the  poet  that 
we  cannot  hope  to  find,  since  we  approach  it  without  this  pre-natal 
sympathy. 


48          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

memory.  None  of  these  grounds  for  disqualification  can 
fairly  be  urged  in  the  case  of  statements  made  early  in 
life  and  repeatedly  confirmed  at  various  periods  of 
growth  and  maturity.  We  have  such  a  case  in  Hebbel's 
frequent  allusion  to  the  mysterious  element  in  poetic 
creation,  to  the  similarity  between  the  artistic  exercise 
and  dream. 

We  are  confronted  here  with  a  phase  of  the  mooted 
ego-problem,  the  question  as  to  the  psychic  conditions 
and  functional  activity  incident  to  inspired  creation. 
Hebbel's  attitude  toward  this  problem  was  on  the  whole 
consistent.  The  conviction  came  over  him  as  a  young 
man  that  the  inspired-state  and  the  dream-state  are  strik- 
ingly similar,  and  this  conviction  was  confirmed  more 
and  more  as  he  matured.  That  this  identification  of 
Dichten  and  Trdumen  was  no  rhetorical  figure  but  the 
expression  of  a  firm  belief,  cannot  be  too  strongly  em- 
phasized. Unfortunately,  Hebbel  has  not  often  dis- 
cussed this  point  in  detail,  consequently  the  particular 
nature  of  the  resemblance  in  question  must  be  in  part 
conjectured.  The  passages  that  bear  directly  or  indi- 
rectly upon  this  matter  seem  to  imply  that  both  inspired 
creation  and  dreaming  involve  a  blending  of  individual 
with  universal  consciousness.  During  dream,  as  well  as 
during  creative  exaltation,  the  bounds  between  self  and 
non-self  seem  attenuated,  if  not  quite  effaced.  Proteus- 
like,  inspired  poet  and  dreaming  mortal  seem  to  run 
through  all  forms  and  to  be  imprisoned  by  none.  Like 
Shelley's  "Cloud,"  they  pass  through  the  pores  of  the 
universe,  they  change  but  cannot  die.  Personality,  with 
its  bodily  limitations,  a  mere  point  in  time  and  space, 
seems  less  the  centre  and  source  of  self  than  does  bound- 
less nature  with  its  endless  variety.  For  poet  and 
dreamer  alike  the  limits  of  self  are  obscured.  The  in- 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  49 

tensive  enjoyment  of  art  may  transport  one  into  a  simi- 
lar state  of  exaltation.  Hebbel  was  thus  transported  by 
the  reading  of  his  Opfer  des  Fruhlings.  In  the  ecstatic 
sense  of  unbounded  being  and  of  absorption  in  the  uni- 
verse aroused  by  the  enjoyment  of  his  own  poem,  he 
describes  his  state  in  imagery  whose  meaning  can  only 
imperfectly  be  divined:  "Das  Universum,  wie  einen 
Mantel,  um  sich  herumziehen  und  sich  so  darin  ein- 
wickeln,  dass  das  Fernste  und  das  Nachste  uns  gleich- 
massig  erwarmt:  das  heisst  Dichten,  Formen  iiberhaupt. 
Diess  Gedanken-Gefuhl  kam  mir  heute,  als  ich  auf  der 
Strasse  mein  Gedicht:  Das  Opfer  des  Fruhlings  fur 
mich  hin  recitirte."53 

This  idea  of  poetic  creation  as  springing  from  a  mys- 
terious state  having  in  common  with  dream  the  fusion 
of  ego  and  non-ego  would  be  regarded  with  disfavor  by 
some  students  of  mind.  Antithesis  of  an  impressing  ob- 
jective environment  and  an  impressible  subjective  organ- 
ism is  pronounced  in  certain  professional  circles  the  in- 
dispensable condition  of  conscious  experience.  Thinkers 
of  this  school  have  their  own  way  of  explaining  that 
which  impresses  the  exalted  poet  as  a  falling  away  of 
confining  barriers,  an  expansion  of  self-sense  and  the 
sense  of  outward  things  into  a  transcendent  self,  with  a 
"plenary  sense  of  things."  According  to  Jodl,  for  in- 
stance, the  Insichversunkensein  of  the  artist  is  merely 
a  relative  fading  of  the  prerequisite  antithesis;  absolute 
effacement  of  the  antithesis  is  for  this  scholar  a  psycho- 
logical illusion.54 

Eliminating  all  specific  features,  we  see  here  again  the 
main  outlines  of  an  old  dispute,  namely  the  question  of 


53  Tgb.  Ill,  3882.    Cf.  also  Traum  und  Poesie,  VI,  372. 

54  Jodl,  Lehrbuch  d.  Psychologic,  Stuttgart  u.  Berlin,  1908, 
I,  ch.  3,  p.  122. 


50          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

art's  rank  in  the  scale  of  spiritual  activities.  Students 
of  the  development  of  culture,  in  reviewing  the  achieve- 
ments of  human  mind,  generally  regard  this  mystic  theory 
of  art  as  one  of  a  number  of  aesthetic  "attitudes"  ex- 
hibited at  different  periods  of  human  progress.  Bene- 
detto Croce55 — to  cite  a  representative  modern  view — 
recognizes  five  orders  of  aesthetic  theory,  which  are  at 
once  stages  in  the  spirit's  groping  toward  light  and  also 
tempers  of  mind,  revealed  in  varying  degree  by  great 
intellects  of  all  epochs.  Among  these  orders  the  mystic 
occupies  a  position  of  high  rank,  being  superseded  only 
by  intuition-expression,  the  order  of  which  Croce  is  chief 
exponent.  Croce's  own  Aesthetic  pays  willing  homage 
to  art  as  one  of  the  two  great  manifestations  of  theo- 
retic spirit,  yet  subordinates  the  intuition-expression  of 
art  to  the  pure  concepts  of  intellective  philosophy.  On 
the  principle  that  the  lowest  step  in  a  stairway  is  no  less 
worthy  than  the  highest,  the  philosopher  of  Croce's  type 
views  the  vision  of  the  poet  much  as  maturity  does  the 
alert  but  unschooled  reasoning  of  youth. 

With  this  view  we  may  fitly  compare  Hegel's,  culmi- 
nating in  the  assertion  that  the  visions  of  art  have  had 
their  day  and  must  now  yield  to  the  concepts  of  phil- 
osophy. Against  both  views  Hebbel's  supreme  exalta- 
tion of  art  is  an  unflinching  protest.  His  poetic  products 
are  fruits  of  a  supreme  faculty  of  mysterious  nature,  a 
superior  form  of  intuition.56  This  alone  is  sufficient  to 
bring  his  view  within  the  pale  of  a  mystical  aesthetic, 
which,  within  a  certain  variation  of  form,  has  preserved 


fi5  Benedetto  Croce,  Aesthetic,  trans,  by  Douglas  Ainslee. 
Macmillan  &  Co.,  1909.  Appendix :  Pure  Intuition  and  the  Lyrical 
Character  of  Art. 

56  See  Croce,  p.  105,  where  reference  is  made  to  a  superior 
imagination,  a  spiritual  faculty  upon  the  alleged  existence  of 
which  metaphysic  seeks  to  maintain  its  place  among  sciences  of 
the  spirit.  Croce's  attitude  toward  this  metaphysic  and  its  pur- 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  51 

the  same  essential  characteristics.  If  we  may  call  Heb- 
bel's  artistic  activity  intellectual  intuition  because  it 
divines  and  embodies  the  unity  and  interpenetration  of 
universal  and  particular,  we  may  with  equal  justice  term 
it  mystical  because  it  "creates  its  world  with  the  varying 
elements  of  the  impressions  and  of  the  feelings"  through 
the  ministry  of  a  marvelous,  uncomprehended  faculty. 
Efforts  to  relate  this  faculty  to  the  other  spiritual  powers 
have  not  proved  illuminating.  It  is  felt  by  some  to  differ 
essentially  from  simple  intuition.  "It  is  placed  variously 
above,  beside,  beneath  intellectual  intuition."  Many 
adopt  the  questionable  method  of  summarily  denying  its 
existence.  Others  are  more  politic  and  content  them- 
selves with  pointing  out  its  intangibility.  For  Croce  it 
is  "a  faculty  marvelous  indeed  and  delightful  to  possess ; 
but  we,  who  do  not  possess  it,  have  no  means  of  proving 
its  existence."  What  to  others  is  thus  confessedly  a 
thing  unknown  Hebbel  takes  it  upon  himself  to  pro- 
claim. This  proclamation  is  particularly  full  and  em- 
phatic in  a  letter  that  cannot  be  accused  of  exhibiting 
youthful  immaturity.  In  the  prime  of  life  Hebbel  here 
deliberately  designates  the  poetic  activity  as  a  dream 
state  midway  between  the  instinctive  processes  of  the 
animal  and  the  introspective  consciousness  of  man.  We 
quote  Hebbel's  observations  without  further  comment, 
leaving  refutation  to  those  who  maintain  that  intellection 
and  artistic  invention — Denktatigkeit  and  Dichttdtigkeit — 
are  manifestations  of  the  same  consciousness-grade.57 
Whatever  attitude  science  may  take,  Hebbel's  theory 
comes  to  us  with  the  powerful  sanction  of  a  lifetime 


ported  spiritual  basis  is  that  of  outspoken  scepticism.  Hebbel 
stoutly  asserts  the  operation  of  such  a  higher  faculty,  though  for 
him  it  is  the  vital  force  of  art,  not  of  metaphysic. 

57  "Denktatigkeit  und  Dichttatigkeit  stehen  auf  namlicher 
Stufe  der  Bewusstseinsentwicklung  und  im  gleichen  Verhaltnis 


52          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

devoted  to  the  creation  of  art  and  to  the  solution  of  its 
mysteries : 

"Sie  wollen  an  den  Dichter  glauben,  wie  an  die  Gott- 
heit;  warum  so  hoch  hinauf  .  .  .  .  ?  Sollten  Sie  niclit 
weiter  gelangen,  wenn  Sie  zum  Thier  hinuntersteigen 
und  dem  kiinstlerischen  Vermogen  die  Mittelstufe  zwi- 
schen  dem  Instinct  des  Thiers  und  dem  Bewusstsein  des 
Menschen  anweisen?  ....  Das  Thier  fiihrt  ein  Traum- 
leben,  das  die  Natur  unmittelbar  regelt  und  streng  auf 
die  Zwecke  bezieht,  durch  deren  Erreichung  auf  der 
einen  Seite  das  Geschopf  selbst,  auf  der  anderen  aber 
die  Welt  besteht.  Ein  ahnliches  Traumleben  fiihrt  der 
Kiinstler,  natiirlich  nur  als  Kiinstler,  und  wahrscheinlich 
aus  demselben  Grunde,  denn  die  kosmischen  Gesetze 
diirften  nicht  klarer  in  seinen  Gesichtskreis  fallen,  wie 
die  organischen  in  den  des  Thieres  und  dennoch  kann  er 
keins  seiner  Bilder  abrunden  und  schliessen,  ohne  auf 
sie  zuriick  zu  gehen.  Warum  sollte  nun  die  Natur  nicht 
fur  ihn  thun,  was  sie  fur  das  Thier  thut.  Sie  werden 
aber  auch  iiberhaupt  finden,  um  tiefer  auszugreifen,  dass 
die  Lebensprocesse  Nichts  mit  dem  Bewusstseyn  zu  thun 
haben,  und  die  kiinstlerische  Zeugung  ist  der  hochste  von 
alien;  sie  unterscheiden  sich  ja  eben  dadurch  von  den 
logischen,  dass  man  sie  absolut  nicht  auf  bestimmte 
Factoren  zuriick  fiihren  kann  ....  Sie  hatten  daher 
vollkommen  Recht,  Newton  auszulachen,  wenn  er  'das 
naive  Kind  spielen'  und  behaupten  wollte,  der  fallende 
Apfel  habe  ihn  mit  dem  Gravitations- System  inspirirt, 
wahrend  er  ihm  recht  gern  den  ersten  Anstoss  zum 
Reflectiren  iiber  den  Gegenstand  gegeben  haben  kann; 
wogegen  Sie  Dante  zu  nah  treten  wurden,  wenn  Sie  es 
bezweifeln  wollten,  dass  ihm  Himmel  und  Holle  zugleich 
bei'm  Anblick  eines  halb  hellen,  halb  dunklen  Waldes  in 
colossalen  Umrissen  vor  der  Seele  aufgestiegen  seyen. 
Denn  Systeme  werden  nicht  ertraumt,  Kunstwerke  aber 
auch  nicht  errechnet  oder,  was  auf  das  Namliche  hinaus 


zu  den  elementalen  Prozessen,"  Jodl,  Lehrbuch  d.  Psychologic, 
I,  Kap.  3,  S.  189  ff.  Cf.  also  Dilthey's  remark  on  the  miraculous 
in  the  operations  of  fantasy  (Das  Erlebnis  und  Die  Dichtung, 
p.  145). 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  53 

lauft,  da  das  Denken  nur  ein  hoheres  Rechnen  ist, 
erdacht.  Die  kunstlerische  Phantasie  ist  eben  das  Organ, 
welches  diejenigen  Tiefen  der  Welt  erschopft,  die  den 
iibrigen  Facultaten  unzuganglich  sind,  und  meine 
Anschauungsweise  setzt  demnach  an  die  Stelle  eines 
falschen  Realismus,  der  den  Theil  fiir  das  Ganze  nimmt, 
nur  den  wahren,  der  auch  das  mit  umfasst,  was  nicht  auf 
der  Oberflache  liegt "58 

From  utterances  already  cited  and  from  others  that 
formulate  the  aims  and  methods  of  art  in  general,  Heb- 
bel's  conception  of  the  specific  sphere  of  lyric  poetry 
may  reasonably  be  inferred.  We  shall  not  stray  far 
from  his  conception  if  we  define  lyric  poetry  as  symbolic 
expression  of  emotional  moments  in  which  the  plenary 
self  is  markedly  dominant.  As  the  function  of  art  in 
general  is  to  manifest  the  cosmic  forces  that  determine 
particular  conditions  of  human  existence,  so  the  special 
task  of  lyric  poetry  is  to  grasp  and  transmit  momentary 
phases  of  such  existence  in  their  universal  ratio.59  Emo- 
tional states — Zustande — with  their  component  moments 
constitute  the  vital  element  of  song.  Man's  inner  life, 
which  we  are  able  to  apprehend  only  as  a  complex  pro- 
gression of  such  Zustande,  thus  affords  rich  stores  of 
material  and  endless  possibilities  for  lyric  treatment.  In 
the  rainfall  of  our  emotional  states  the  lyric  poet  momen- 
tarily illuminates  a  single  drop.60  His  song  catches  a 
glint  of  that  restless  current  of  life  as  it  flows  from  the 
ultimate  sources  in  obedience  to  embanking  environ- 
ment.61 


68  Tgb.  IV,  6133.  Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1038;  1039;  1174;  1265; 
1355;  1585;  1620;  Tgb.  II,  2301;  3045;  Tgb.  Ill,  4188;  4435;  Tgb. 
IV,  5767;  5920. 

5»  Tgb.  IV,  5841.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  126;  136;  645;  748. 

60  "In  Bezug  auf  die  Lyrik :  das  ganze  Gef uhlsleben  ist 
ein   Regen,  das  eben  heraus  gehobene  Gefiihl  ist  ein  von   der 
Sonne  beleuchteter  Tropfen."    Tgb.  II,  1953,  Is.  2-4. 

61  Tgb.  I,  538;  1320. 


54          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Hebbel  follows  tradition  when  he  emphasizes  feeling 
as  the  indispensable,  the  vital  attribute  of  lyric  poetry.62 
A  number  of  his  statements  merely  elucidate  how  this 
vital  attribute  may  best  be  secured.  In  his  portrayal  of 
emotional  life  the  poet  must  aim  at  heightened  intensity 
through  restricted  extensity.  "Gefuhl  ist  das  unmittelbar 
von  innen  heraus  wirkende  Leben.  Die  Kunst  es  zu 
begrenzen  und  darzustellen,  macht  den  lyrischen  Dich- 
ter."63  But  if  Hebbel  restricts  the  momentary  field  in 
order  to  insure  intensity  of  impression,  he  also  extends 
the  territory  within  which  momentary  fields  may  be 
chosen.  Not  the  powerful,  elemental  feelings  alone  in- 
spire prophetic  vision,  but  the  more  gentle  and  placid 
states  as  well,  the  elusive  moods  and  haunting  reveries 
implied  in  the  connotation  of  the  German  term  Gemilt. 
Gemiit  transports  us  to  those  remote  spiritual  realms 
that  lend  symbolic  import  to  the  actual  world  we  live  in. 
The  lyric  poet  must  appeal  through  and  to  this  strange 
power,  he  must  be  able  by  a  higher  conjury  to  super- 
induce that  soul-exaltation  in  which  human  conscious- 
ness is  mysteriously  correlated  with  a  particular  present 
and  a  universal  future.64  He  must  have  access  there- 


«2  Tgb.  I,  441. 

63  Tgb.  I,  111.    Cf.  also  "Ein  lyrisches  Gedicht  ist  da,  so 
wie  das  Gefuhl  sich  durch  den  Gedanken  im  Bewusstsein  scharf 
abgranzt,"  Tgb.  II,  2081.    Again:  "In  die  dammernde,  duftende 
Gefiihlswelt  des  begeisterten  Dichters  fallt  ein  Mondenstral  des 
Bewusstseins,  und  das,  was  er  beleuchtet,  wird  Gestalt."     Tgb. 
II,  2023. 

64  For   the   expression   of  the  "Weltprozess"   in    Hebbel's 
lyrics  see  Scheunert  Uber  Hebbel's  aesth.  Weltansch,  etc.,  Zt  f. 
Aesth.,  1907,  pp.  103  ff.    The  corrective  phase  of  this  process,  so 
much  emphasized  in  the  dramas,  is  here  waived.    The  two  cosmic 
factors  are  represented,  however.    The  "individual"  assumes  the 
form  of  the  momentary  mood  portrayed.     The  "Idee,"  though 
repressed,   is  nevertheless  present  as  "Nuance,"  that  is   to   say 
constructively,  inasmuch  as  the  self-assertion  of  the  individual 
is  enacted  wholly  in  the  soul  of  the  poet,  himself  the  exponent 
of  the  "Idee"  and  the  representative  of  its  claims.    In  his  sane- 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  55 

fore  to  the  soul's  most  hidden  recesses,  he  must  rule  all 
her  phases  and  currents.  Ebb  as  well  as  floodtide  must 
obey  his  word. 

In  thus  enlarging  the  domain  of  lyric  poetry  to  include 
the  most  evanescent  subjective  states,  Hebbel  does  not 
relax  the  requirements  of  plasticity.  Subjectivity  is  no 
excuse  for  the  void  and  the  formless.  Though  art  like 
life  is  a  Werden,  it  is  also  ein  Fertiges  and  must  exhibit 
completeness  in  a  certain  sense.65  Emotion,  feeling,  is 
not  so  much  life  as  it  is  the  material  of  life,  a  potential 
that  awaits  conversion  into  an  essential.66  Certain  sub- 
jective states  are  fully  born  only  when  they  become  ob- 
jectified; and  these  have  preeminently  a  status  in  song, 
for  through  song  alone  can  the  soul  be  delivered  of 
them.67 

We  mentioned,  in  passing,  Hebbel's  attitude  toward 
physical  environment.  This  attitude  is  of  especial  im- 
portance in  connection  with  his  lyric  compositions. 
Through  over-attention  to  the  oracular  ideality  of  his 
dramas  we  may  easily  overlook  there  the  evidences  of 
extraordinary  susceptibility  to  sensuous  beauty.  Our 
remissness  is  the  more  natural  since  in  his  tragedies  Heb- 
bel everywhere  combines  with  ready  tribute  to  beauty's 
high  estate  a  stout  insistence  upon  her  pure  lineage.  Only 
descent  from  the  Idee  can  impart  divine  sanction  to 
beauty  and  lend  to  her  person  the  sacredness  of  the  inevi- 
table.68 But  in  his  songs  our  poet  is  not  always  so  in- 

tion  of  this  self-assertion,  through  portrayal  of  it,  the  lyric  poet 
is  animated  by  a  high  purpose :  "Ein  Stuck  individuellen  Lebens 
so  zu  gestalten,  dass  in  ihm  die  Idee  in  bestimmter  Nuance  sich 
spiegeln  und  geniessen  kann,  mag  es  sich  nun  um  ein  Vogel — 
Blumen — Kinder — oder  ein  Liebesleben  handeln."  Ibid.,  p.  114. 
65Tgb.  I,  1261;  1471,  Is.  95  ff.;  Tgb.  II,  2258. 

66  "Das  Gefiihl  ist  Lebensmaterial,  das  erst  geformt  wer- 
den  soil."    Tgb.  II,  2288. 

67  Tgb.  I,  1588;  Tgb.  II,  2206. 

68  Tgb.  Ill,  4360. 


56          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

sistent  upon  beauty's  divine  anointment.  Here  upon 
occasions  he  is  not  above  unrecking  surrender  to  un- 
anointed  physical  comeliness.69  For  with  him  as  with 
great  artists  in  general  the  Apollonian  impulse  is  deep- 
seated,  despite  the  genuineness  of  the  Dionysian.  After 
all  is  said,  he,  too,  asks  primarily  to  be  enkindled  by  the 
sensuous  loveliness  of  art's  revelation,  and  is  reluctant 
coldly  to  pry  into  her  fair  plasticity. 

But  the  prominence  of  the  sensuous  in  Hebbel's  songs, 
like  his  attitude  toward  the  outer  world,  has  a  direct 
bearing  upon  his  conception  of  conscious  experience  in 
general.  It  is  noteworthy  that  a  deep  sense  of  kinship 
with  the  outer  world  was  early  aroused  and  fostered  in 
our  poet.  Thus  he  was  much  impressed  as  a  young  man 
by  Goethe's  appreciation  of  Winckelmann  as  a  sensitive 
nature,  irresistibly  impelled  to  seek  in  the  outer  world 
appropriate  counterparts  of  that  which  was  within  the 
soul,  thereby  to  expand  inner  life  to  fulness  and  cer- 
tainty.70 We  may  well  believe  that  Goethe's  observation 
expressed  an  early  ideal  of  Hebbel's;  at  least  he  began 
quite  young  to  care  deeply  for  those  external  comple- 
ments of  soul  experience,  "die  antwortenden  Bilder  in 
der  ausseren  Welt  ....  die  das  Innere  vollig  zum 
Ganzen  und  Gewissen  steigern."  The  high  import  of 
the  outward,  the  inadequacy  of  the  inward  for  the  highest 
vision  and  the  worthiest  creation,  this  is  a  thought  that 
he  repeatedly  emphasizes.71  He  is  not  one  of  those  who 
scorn  the  body  in  their  veneration  of  the  spirit.  The  ten- 
derest  ties  bind  the  soul  with  its  bodily  dwelling,  and 


e»  Tgb.  II,  2721.    Cf.  Tgb.  Ill,  4360. 

7°Tgb.  I,  560,  p.  109. 

71  "Der  Mensch  bedarf  zur  vollstandigen  Entfesselung  des 
Innern  immer  des  Aeuszeren,"  Tgb.  II,  1879.  "Der  Mensch  lebt 
zwar  aus  sich  selbst,  aber  nur  die  ausseren  Eindriicke  geben  ihm 
das  Bewusstseyn  seines  Lebens,"  Tgb.  I,  1702  a. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  57 

these  ties  play  a  vital  role  in  the  individual's  growth. 
Those  premonitions  of  an  imperishable  link  between  man 
in  his  seeming  detachment  and  the  eternal  source  of  life 
were  for  the  young  Hebbel  rooted  in  bodily  faculties 
rather  than  in  mental.72  Thus  at  first  the  external  and 
corporeal  are  placed  upon  a  plane  little  if  any  lower  than 
the  spiritual.  Indeed  the  truly  subjective  is  after  all  only 
a  more  complete  form  of  the  objective.73  The  objective 
affords  full  scope  for  the  exercise  of  all  human  faculties, 
its  appeal  is  by  no  means  restricted  to  the  senses.  Re- 
flection and  that  which  Schiller  calls  the  sentimental — 
these  are  the  narrow,  the  restricted  things  in  Hebbel's 
opinion.74  Accordingly  images  taken  from  external 
nature  that  complement  internal  states  have  both  illus- 
trative and  demonstrative  power.75  Only  that  which  is 
sensuously  apprehensible  fuses  intimately  with  man's 
consciousness  of  his  existence.76  The  good  storyist 
(Erzahler)  always  portrays  the  inner  and  the  outer 
simultaneously,  one  through  the  other.77.  The  irresist- 
ible power  of  a  simple  poem  like  Uhland's  Die  linden 
Lufte  sind  erwacht  springs  from  its  expression  of  the 
plenary  sense  of  things.  The  little  song  awakens  within 
us  through  sensuous  imagery  the  exhilarating  conscious- 
ness of  congruence  between  our  central  emotions  and 
phenomena  of  nature.78  Thus  art,  by  stimulating  the 
spiritual  communion  that  subsists  between  all  forms  of 
existence,  inwardly  unfolds  and  illuminates  what  the 
senses  and  the  intellect  imperfectly  report  or  define.79 


72  Tgb.  I,  760. 

73  Tgb.  I,  963. 

74  Tgb.  I,  887. 

75  Tgb.  I,  808. 

76  Tgb.  I,  575. 

77  Tgb.  I,  719. 
7«Tgb.  I,  1083. 
79  Tgb.  I,  1707. 


58          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

This  view  of  conscious  experience  and  of  aesthetic  en- 
joyment has  a  vital  connection  with  the  mystic  view  of 
poetic  conception  and  its  resemblance  to  dreaming.  The 
mazes  of  sensuous  impressions  that  mediate  our  con- 
sciousness hinder  rather  than  help  the  transcendent  func- 
tion of  art  when  such  impressions  are  treated  as  a  sphere 
distinct  from  self,  at  most  serving  only  as  a  screen  for 
the  projection  of  inner  life.  Hebbel  seems  to  expect  the 
poet  to  obliterate  the  bounds  between  self  and  physical 
environment,  between  subjective  and  objective — bounds 
that  are  inviolable  for  the  discursive  intellect,  but  intol- 
erable to  poetic  intuition  with  its  transcendent  vision  of 
life.  Thus  in  effect  the  poet  must  annex  objective  envi- 
ronment, assimilate  it  as  an  integral  part  of  self,  not 
disengage  it,  as  we  do  in  our  abstract  thinking.  He  must 
not  project  himself  into  nature,  but  rather  merge  his 
identity  in  that  of  nature  and  speak  to  us  out  of  this 
larger  self.  For  the  disintegrating,  partial  sense  of 
things  the  seer  substitutes  the  larger,  plenary  sense  of 
things.  Under  this  aspect,  objective  environment  is  ex- 
alted into  infinite  artistic  importance ;  and  every  objective 
item,  every  particle  of  sensible  or  empiric  experience, 
every  hue,  tone,  surface,  scent,  contributes  in  some  de- 
gree toward  the  attainment  of  the  higher  self.  The 
mazes  of  concrete  phenomena  not  only  delight  and  stimu- 
late a  great  poet,  they  fuse  indissolubly  with  his  subjec- 
tive states  and  at  rare  moments  become  exalted  with 
these  states  into  a  higher  consciousness,  a  larger  being 
commensurately  nearer  the  Idee.80 

If  we  have  rightly  interpreted  Hebbel's  nature  feeling 
as  an  intuitive  vision  of  communion  between  ego  and 


80  This  is  the  cumulative  import,  as  it  seems  to  me,  of  such 
passages  as  Tgb.  I,  136,  p.  29;  552;  1115;  Tgb.  II,  3140,  Is.  1-6;  Is. 
26  ff.;  and  particularly  Tgb.  IV,  6133,  Is.  46  ff.  (see  above,  pp.  52- 
3).  In  this  connection  cf.  Tgb.  Ill,  4111. 


HEBBEL'S  AESTHETIC  THEORY  59 

non-ego  in  a  spiritual  existence  upon  a  higher  cosmic 
plane,  then  all  his  utterances  respecting  poetic  creation 
must  be  read  in  the  light  of  this  transcendental  doctrine. 
Thus  we  must  think  of  something  deeper  than  associative 
fancy  when  Hebbel  notes  how  consistently  with  him 
every  inner  phenomenon  evokes  an  analogous  outer 
one.81  We  see  the  application  of  his  cosmic  theory  when 
Hebbel  commits  to  poetry  the  task  of  representing  the 
necessary  and  the  inevitable  in  such  form  as  shall  recon- 
cile man  with  human  destiny.82  We  incline  to  the  same 
interpretation  of  Hebbel's  emphatic  statement  that  the 
Divine  can  be  made  to  live  in  art  only  by  becoming 
human,  earthy, — "wenn  es  aus  der  Erde  ....  in  marki- 
ger,  kraftiger  Gestalt  hervorgeht  und  sich  mit  ihr 
vertragt."83  Of  like  import  is  the  warning  to  dramatists 
to  make  all  the  utterances  of  their  characters  refer  to 
externals,  for  only  in  this  way  can  inner  life  express  it- 
self with  color  and  power,  "denn  es  gestaltet  sich  nur  in 
den  Reflexen  der  Welt  und  des  Lebens."84  In  the  pas- 
sage of  the  diaries  that  gives  so  luminous  an  exposition 
of  the  dualistic  quality  of  art, — the  passage  in  which  the 
conventional  requirement  that  poetry  should  present  das 
Gewordene,  is  opposed  with  the  counter  demand  that 
poetry's  proper  sphere  is  das  Werdende — he  is  not  merely 
emphasizing  the  importance  of  plastic  fancy  when  he 
insists  that  das  Werdende  be  revealed  in  palpable  forms, 
that  it  never  be  permitted  to  decompose  into  the  intan- 
gible, the  chaotic.85  Something  more  than  delight  in  the 
plasticity  of  the  early  scenes  of  Judith  prompted  the 
exultant  cry:  "Leben,  Situation  und  Charakter  springen 


si  Tgb.  I,  800. 

82  Tgb.  I,  1288. 

83  Tgb.  I,  1079. 

84  Tgb.  I,  1062. 

S5  Tgb.  I,  1471,  Is.  95  ff. 


60          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

in  korniger  Prosa  ....  frisch  und  kraftig  hervor."86 
Such  firm,  palpable  portraiture  of  life  must  have  im- 
pressed him  as  in  very  truth  "Incarnation  des  Geistes  im 
Gedicht."87 

Emphasis  upon  the  objective  as  the  peculiar  expres- 
sional  media  of  art  has  especial  application  to  lyric 
poetry.  For  if  poetry  in  general  makes  much  of  the 
sensuous,  lyric  poetry  derives  its  very  substance  there- 
from. Sensuousness  is  the  surest  means  to  elemental 
directness  of  appeal,  as  well  as  to  that  unfathomable 
mystery  essential  to  lyrism.88  As  a  consequence,  Heb- 
bel's  persistent  differentiation  between  reason  and  imagi- 
nation is  nowhere  better  exemplified  than  in  his  lyric 
poems,  and  most  perfectly  in  those  that  are  conspicu- 
ously sensuous.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  he  displays  thought, 
but  thought  of  an  unusual  type,  the  result  of  an  unsearch- 
able trans-intellectual  process.89  He  displays  subjectivity 
but  the  subjectivity  is  mediated  through  the  objective. 
He  displays  the  "universal,"  but  the  universal  is  secured 
through  symbolic  portrayal  of  the  "particular." 

This  exaltation  of  the  corporeal  in  life  and  of  con- 


«e  Tgb.  I,  1677. 

87  Tgb.  I,   1764.     Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,   1098;  Tgb.  Ill,  4271; 
4278. 

88  "Die  Lyrik  ist  das  Elementarische  der  Poesie,  die  un- 
mittelbarste   Vermittlung   zwichen    Subject   und   Object."     Tgb. 
II,    2687.      "Ein    Geheimniss    muss    immer    iibrig    bleiben    und 
lage  das  Geheimniss  auch  nur  in  der  dunkeln  Kraft  des  entzif- 
fernden  Worts.     Im   Lyrischen   ist   das   offenbar;   was   ist  eine 
Romanze,   ein   Gedicht,   wenn   es   nicht  unermesslich    ist,   wenn 
nicht  aus  jeder  Auflosung  des  Rathsels  ein  neues  Rathsel  hervor 
geht?"  Tgb.  I,  1057,  p.  231,  Is.  7-12.    "Die  echte  Poesie  dringt 
aus  der  Seele,  wie  das  heisse  Blut  aus  der  Ader,  die  es  selbst 
aufsprengte."    Tgb.  I,  1097. 

89  "Wenn   ich   aber  den   Unterschied,  der  mir  obschwebt, 
angeben  soil,  so  muss  ich  ihn  darin  setzen,  dass  der  Dichter  seine 
Gedanken   durch   Gefuhlsanschauung,  der   Denker  durch   seinen 
Verstand  erlangt."    Tgb.  I,  41,  Is.  5-8.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  621 ;  641 ; 
Tgb.  II,  3047. 


HEBBEL'S  ESTHETIC  THEORY  61 

crete  symbolism  in  song  is  not  new.  Yet  where  so  much 
stress  has  been  laid  upon  our  poet's  spiritual  message 
there  is  justification  in  emphasizing  the  astonishing 
prominence  assumed  in  that  message  by  qualities  of 
sense.  The  vision  of  life  symbolized  in  Hebbel's  dramas 
has  been  approached  so  long  from  the  viewpoint  of  their 
underlying  message,  that  there  may  be  some  corrective 
virtue  in  shifting  attention  to  the  poetic  quality  of  that 
message.  And  certainly  Hebbel  himself  did  not  wish 
this  side  of  his  art  to  be  overlooked.  He  acknowledged 
without  stint  the  poet's  debt  to  the  sensuous  beauty  and 
power  of  language.  He  fully  appreciated  that  concrete 
terms  of  color  or  scent  or  sound,  palpable  form  and 
sensuous  imagery  are  frequently  synonyms  of  the  most 
profound  truth.90  He  was  quite  aware  that  sense 
impressions,  reproduced  in  idea,  excite  trains  of  asso- 
ciation whose  aid  to  vision  far  exceeds  that  of  reason. 
Tones  of  nature,  lights  and  shadows,  qualities  of  surface 
or  of  temperature,  speech  that  betrays  the  essence  of 
character,  oracular  utterances  freighted  with  dark  import 
that  solve  one  mystery  only  to  propound  another — these 
are  not  alien  branches  grafted  into  the  vital  trunk  of 
song.  They  are  rather  real  though  mysterious  voices, 
direct  appeals  to  fancy  and  Gemut,  clear  calls  to  the  soul 
to  share  an  intense  experience  in  which  the  larger  self 
for  the  moment  prevails,  by  sufferance  of  the  lurking 
Idee. 

Hebbel  wrote  in  his  diary  in  March,  1861 :  "Jeder  neue 
Kiinstler  tragt  neue  Gedanken  in  neuer  Sprache  vor. 
Die  Sprache  selbst  will  gelernt  seyn,  bevor  die  Gedanken 
verstanden  werden  konnen."91  Obligation  to  study  a 
poet's  speech  becomes  highly  imperative  when  each  pri- 


9<>Tgb.  I,  887;  891;  920. 
91  Tgb.  IV,  5866. 


62          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

mary  impression  conveys  hints  of  a  super-sensuous 
world.92  The  following  chapters  offer  a  contribution 
toward  a  fuller  appreciation  of  Hebbel's  lyric  diction. 


92  Cf.   Scheunert,  Uber  Hebbel's  Weltansch.,  etc.     Zt.   f. 
Aesth.,  1907,  pp.  117  ff. 


CHAPTER  III 
COLORS 

Colors1  stand  in  the  forefront  of  the  impressions  upon 
which  apprehension  of  objective  phenomena  and  of 
beauty  in  nature  depends.  Moreover,  in  so  far  as  crea- 
tions of  fancy  are  imitative  or  representative,  compact 
of  reproduced  objective  images  freely  combined,  colors 
have  preeminence  among  the  expressional  materials  of 
most  of  the  arts.  Even  architecture  and  sculpture  de- 
pend considerably  upon  lights  and  shadows  for  their  total 
effect.  In  poetry,  where  "realization"  of  the  inner  vision 
must  be  achieved  mainly  through  ideation,  it  is  by  way 
of  color  ideations  that  the  recipient's  spirit  is  especially 
aroused  to  vivid  reproduction  and  active  interest. 

The  relative  aesthetic  fitness  of  the  several  sensory 
impression  modes  has  engaged  critics  from  Plato  to  the 
present.  Discussion  has  turned  chiefly  about  the  aesthetic 
competence  of  the  "lower  senses,"  so-called.  These 
menial  senses  have  had  from  time  to  time  able  vindica- 
tions, which  have  tended  to  counteract  traditional  preju- 
dice against  them.  We  owe  it  to  such  men  as  Herder, 
Guyau,  Grant  Allen,  Gross,  if  there  is  today  a  readier 
concession  of  the  part  played  by  impressions  of  tempera- 
ture and  of  surface,  of  odors  and  of  tastes  in  the  sum- 
total  of  our  aesthetic  experience.2 

1  The  term  "color"  is  here  used  to  embrace  colors  proper 
(including  the   spectral  hues;  the  achromatic  white,  gray   and 
black;  gold,  silver,  leaden,  etc.)  and  the  various  forms  of  visible 
light. 

2  Grant  Allen,  Physiological  Esthetics,  London,  1877 ;  M. 
Guyau,  L'Art  au  Point  de  Vue  Sociologique,  Paris,  1889;  Karl 
Gross,  Der  Aesth.  Genuss,  Giessen,  1902. 


64          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Yet  all  liberality  toward  the  more  plebeian  senses  can- 
not diminish  recognition  of  the  nobler  rank  of  the  visual 
and  auditory  sensations.  The  preeminence  enjoyed  by 
sights  and  sounds  may  perhaps  be  attributed  to  a  com- 
bination of  causes,  notably  to  the  organization  of  the 
eye  and  ear  themselves  and  to  their  highly  perfect  func- 
tional mode,  to  the  nature  or  consistency  of  the  sense 
qualities  that  they  record,  and  to  the  importance  of  these 
sense  qualities  in  the  processes  of  perceptual  elaboration.3 
As  a  further  cause  of  artistic  fitness  may  be  added — 
especially  in  the  case  of  the  color  impressions — a  marked 
refinement  of  the  psycho-sensory  operation,  whereby 
primitive  features  that  attached  to  the  sense's  infancy 
have  yielded  in  time  to  processes  spiritually  more  mature. 
Some  of  these  causes  require  further  consideration. 

First  of  all,  as  distance  receptors  the  eye  and  ear  do 
not  require  immediate  contact  with  their  excitants.4 
This  may  partly  account  for  the  extreme  immateriality  of 
sights  and  sounds.  "In  dem  Auge  und  dem  Ohr  ist  die 
andringende  Materie  schon  hinweggewalzt  von  den 
Sinnen."5  What  we  see  and  hear  seems  to  come  to  us 
on  the  wing,  a  freedom  like  the  freedom  of  flight  inheres 
in  impressions  of  these  two  classes;  spectre-like,  they 
seem  to  be  the  fine  spirit  of  things  rather  than  their 


8  Gross  carefully  weighs  the  functional  capacities  of  the 
several  senses  and  ascribes  a  more  propitious  combination  of 
these  capacities  to  the  "higher"  senses.  The  actual  ground  of 
aesthetic  preeminence,  however,  he  finds  in  the  fact  that  eye  and 
ear  are  the  "Sprachsinne" ;  that  is,  they  are  especially  fitted  to 
interpret  the  interjections,  gestures,  attitudes  and  the  like  that 
are  expressive  of  man's  inner  states.  Gross,  D.  Aesth.  Genuss, 
pp.  36  ff. 

4  This  is  also  the  mode  of  smell  and  of  dermal  impres- 
sions of  temperature. 

5  Schiller,   "Ueber   die   Aesthetische  Erziehung   des    Men- 
schen,"  26th  letter.    Cf.  Volkelt,  Syst.  d.  Aesth.,  Munchen,  1905, 
I,  p.  96. 


COLORS  65 

gross  essence.6  Other  sense  qualities  have  at  times  a 
certain  bodily  gravity  that  draws  them  earthward  and 
renders  them  less  suited  to  aesthetic  contemplation. 
Colors  and  forms  partake  especially  of  the  winged  qual- 
ity ;  they  are  in  the  literal  sense  phenomena,  apparitions, 
filmy  tints  upon  the  dead  white  of  space,  and  their  mirage 
consistency  peculiarly  qualifies  them  for  purposes  of 
imaginative  art.7 

The  ethereal  liberty  of  tones  and  hues,  again,  accounts 
for  their  scorn  of  any  preconceived  theories  as  to  what 
constitutes  objective  beauty.  Owing  perhaps  to  the  rela- 
tive absence  of  affective  extremes,  and  owing  to  the 
consequent  wider  zone  of  moderately  toned  sensations, 
nature  is  forever  weaving  optic  and  acoustic  syntheses 
of  undeniable  charm  that  seem  to  defy  our  labored  induc- 
tions. Even  our  gentler  moods  seem  susceptible  to  the 
spell  of  nature's  hues  and  tones.  Their  faculty  of  giving 
a  fine  pleasure,  a  mild  surprise  free  from  rude  shock,  lets 
them  glide  unnoted  into  our  reveries  and  link  us  mys- 
teriously with  encircling  life.  In  our  tenser  states,  colors 
and  tones  are  equally  congenial.  Their  immateriality  and 
their  subtle  influence  upon  consciousness  endow  them 
with  extraordinary  significance  for  poetic  imagination. 
The  poet  through  them  may  be  lured  into  the  dream- 
state  where  distinctions  of  self  and  outward  things  fall 
away,  where  the  ephemeral  and  the  earthly  are  merged 
in  the  cosmic  and  eternal. 

Under  this  aspect,  then,  the  deliverances  of  the  higher 
senses  seem  to  fashion  a  fine,  spiritual  medium  in  which 


6  The  other  senses  keep  the  organ  involved  prominently 
before  the  mind,  whereas  all  consciousness  of  eye  and  ear  recedes 
before  the  absorbing  qualities  that  they  transmit.  Hence  the 
term  "transparent"  is  appropriately  applied  to  sight  and  hearing. 
Cf.  Santayana,  The  Sense  of  Beauty,  Scribner,  1896. 

7Volkelt,  Syst.  d.  Aesth.,  I,  p.  97. 


66          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

the  finite  may  easily  be  absorbed  in  the  infinite.  Under 
another  perfectly  valid  aspect  the  eye  and  the  ear 
deliver  solid,  substantial  materials  for  exact  objectiva- 
tion.  No  other  sense  impressions  can,  under  circum- 
stances, be  more  definite  and  concrete,  better  adapted  to 
vivid  reproduction,  more  readily  referred  to  palpable 
sources  than  those  of  sight  and  hearing.8  Viewed  under 
this  aspect,  tastes,  odors  and  the  like  are  diffuse  and 
confused  in  comparison;  they  have  nothing  like  the 
sharp,  succinct  identity  characteristic  of  the  lines,  forms 
and  colors  of  a  landscape,  real  or  pictured,  nothing 
analogous  to  the  palpable  sound  groups  that  music  and 
the  human  voice  produce.  In  this  matter  of  definite 
identification,  sight  is  peculiarly  fortunate.  So  compre- 
hensive, so  objectively  reliable  and  definite  are  the  facts 
yielded  by  the  eye,  that  the  "visible"  world  and  the 
"actual"  world  readily  come  to  be  regarded  as  coinci- 
dent. So  that  the  second  aspect  augments  the  first  in 
accounting  for  the  utility  of  sight  impressions  in  repre- 
sentative arts;  and  the  same  aspect  further  explains 
poetry's  constant  recourse  to  ideas  of  colors,  as  being 
preeminent  in  reproductive  efficiency. 

As  Sprachsinne  par  excellence,  the  higher  senses  have 
that  interpretative  aptitude  that  has  already  been  alluded 
to,  the  impressions  that  they  mediate  are  unusually  quali- 
fied as  expressional  concomitants  of  emotion.9  To  such 
concomitants  constant  recourse  is  had  in  art,  particu- 
larly in  serious  poetic  art,  where  the  varying  phases  of 
man's  struggle  with  his  environment  constitute  the  domi- 
nant theme.  Through  direct  production  of  human 
speech,  through  reproduction  of  colors  in  countenance 
and  dress,  through  suggestion  of  complexional  and  vocal 


8  Volkelt,  Syst.  d.  Aesth.,  I,  pp.  99  ff. 

9  See  above,  p.  64,  footnote  3. 


COLORS  67 

modulations,  of  attitudes,  gestures  and  grimaces,  further 
aided  by  reproductions  of  nature's  visible  and  audible 
phenomena,  the  poet  has  a  splendid  array  of  means  for 
presenting  human  character  and  passion. 

The  scientific  investigation  of  the  color  sense  has  given 
rise  to  much  controversy  with  respect  to  the  ethnological 
diffusion  and  age  of  color  perception.  There  is  good 
evidence  that  a  fairly  advanced  stage  of  this  perception 
descended  to  man  from  his  vertebrate  ancestors ;  also 
that  the  earliest  historical  nations  possessed  a  clear  dis- 
crimination of  the  chief  prismatic  hues,  although  their 
literature  reveals  limitation  and  uncertainty  in  the  matter 
of  color  terminology.10 

Color  pleasure,  even  in  its  more  refined  forms,  was 
formerly  ascribed  in  part  to  the  structure  of  the  eye, 
making  certain  modifications  of  light's  rays  more  pleas- 
urable than  others.  So  the  commoner  hues  of  nature 
were  believed  to  possess  an  intrinsic  pleasure  value 
owing  to  agreeable  stimulations  of  the  primitive  sensi- 
bility of  the  eye.11  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that 
associated  ideas  form  an  important  part  of  our  color 
feelings.  In  the  first  place,  the  early  teleological  function 
of  colors  may  account  in  some  degree  for  their  charm. 
Our  delight  in  particular  hues  may  root  partially  in  dim 


10  This  is  in  brief  the  result  of  the  investigation  of  Grant 
Allen  (The  Colour-Sense,  Boston,  1879)  and  of  Marty  (D.  Frage 
nach.  d.  geschichtl.  Entw.  d.  Farbensinnes,  Wien,  1879)  in  refuta- 
tion of  the  contention  of  L.  Geiger,  Gladstone  and  Hugo  Magnus, 
that  the  human  color  sense  had  been  developed  within  historical 
time.     Marty  is  given  credit  for  first  emphasizing  the  important 
distinction  between  the  capacity  for  gross  color  impression  on  the 
one  hand  and  cultivated  color  feeling  on  the  other.    Color  feeling 
has   unquestionably  undergone  modification,   not  to   say   refine- 
ment, during  the  historical  period.     Cf.  Dr.  Max  Schasler,  Die 
Farbenwelt,  1883,  published  in  Wissenschaftl.    Vortrage,  XVIII 
Serie,   Hft.   409-10,   p.    101;    Marty,  in   above   work,   pp.   47  ff.; 
Stumpf,  Tonpsychologie,  Leipzig,  1883,  I,  p.  344. 

11  Bain,  English  Comp.  and  Rhet.,  London,  1869,  p.  215. 


68          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

transmissions  of  ancestral  attachments.  Such  transmitted 
attachments  may  help  to  explain  the  prominence  of  red, 
orange,  yellow  and  blue  in  the  naive,  uncultivated  enjoy- 
ment of  color.  Moreover,  there  may  be  even  in  culti- 
vated appreciation  some  remnant  of  that  gross,  primitive 
attraction  exerted  by  color  through  its  association  with 
life-sustaining  foods.  The  gradual  eclipse  of  this  organic 
association  and  the  increasing  prominence  of  the  motive 
of  adornment  have  attended  the  rise  of  the  primitive 
color  pleasure  to  a  recognized  aesthetic  grade. 

The  older  primitive  associations  have  yielded  to  more 
refined  associative  factors,  which  in  combination  with  the 
direct  visual  effects  measurably  augment  the  sensuous 
charm.  Thus  the  colors  associated  with  personality, 
those  connected  with  physical  beauty,  with  health,  youth, 
feminine  charm,  exert  a  fascination  that  transcends  the 
primary  impressions  of  sight.12  Color  combinations  such 
as  are  afforded  by  nature  in  silvery  reflections  of  running 
water,  in  shadows  and  images  upon  a  lake's  quiet  surface, 
in  optical  witcheries  of  sunlight  filtering  through  foliage, 
awaken  states  of  mind  in  which  bodily  excitement  is  only 
one  factor.  The  distinct  emotional  tone  of  warm  shades 
and  of  strong  color  contrasts  on  the  one  hand,  as  com- 
pared with  subdued  color  combinations  and  blended  tints 
on  the  other,  suggests  the  presence  of  secondary  associa- 
tive factors  largely  of  the  personal  type,  though  conceiv- 
ably in  part  of  remoter  ancestral  origin. 

A  study  of  the  colors  affected  by  man  in  various 
periods  of  culture  reveals  a  general  development  that  is 
characterized  by  qualitative  refinement  and  quantitative 
extension.18  In  a  general  way  the  progress  has  been 


12  Bain,  The  Emotions  and  The  Will,  New  York,  1888,  pp. 
241  ff. 

18  The  following  summary  sketch  of  the  development  of 


COLORS  69 

from  crude  delight  in  brilliancy  and  lustre  to  revelry  in 
the  intensely  luminous  hues,  and  thence  by  degrees  to 
refined  appreciation  of  subdued  and  tempered  shades. 
Causally  related  with  this  is  the  extension  of  color  in- 
terest from  the  brightly  tinted  objects  of  food  to  those 
that  please  the  eye  without  ministering  to  bodily  needs; 
from  fruits,  for  instance,  to  blossoms  and  insects,  to 
feathers,  pebbles  and  shells,  to  gems  and  precious  metals. 
An  important  stage  in  the  zest  for  color  is  reached  when 
objects  are  artificially  stained  or  dyed  through  the  appli- 
cation of  pigments.  Thus  by  cultivation  of  old  domain 
and  conquest  of  new,  the  enjoyment  of  color  has  grad- 
ually risen  to  high  estate.  An  extended  service  in  capaci- 
ties of  varying  dignity  has  marked  this  gradual  elevation. 
From  an  utilitarian  office  as  auxiliary  to  bodily  suste- 
nance, color  pleasure  has  steadily  risen  to  the  more  gen- 
teel function  of  adornment,  both  of  person  and  of  abode, 
until  the  color  sense  of  today  is  one  of  the  least  material 
factors  of  our  nature,  one  of  the  highest  assets  of 
aesthetic  breeding,  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  pleasure 
in  nature  and  art. 

The  growth  of  man's  color  vocabulary  has  kept  pace 
but  imperfectly  with  the  development  of  his  color 
appreciation.  Their  undeveloped  terminology  led  Glad- 
stone into  the  unwarranted  inference  of  an  untrained 
sense  of  color  on  the  part  of  the  Homeric  bards.14  Later 
investigators  have  made  it  practically  certain  that  peo- 
ples endowed  with  discriminating  appreciation  of  green 
and  blue,  for  example,  may  not  have  adequate  linguistic 
equipment  for  differentiating  these  colors.  Though  there 
may  still  be  some  dispute  respecting  the  color  apprecia- 


the  color  sense  is  based  upon  Grant  Allen's  treatment,  as  pre- 
sented in  his  "The  Colour-Sense,"  Ch.  XII. 

14  Cf .  A.  G.  Keller,  Homeric  Society,  New  York,  1902,  p.  76. 


70 

tion  of  early  historical  peoples,  there  are  ample  data 
available  for  ascertaining  what  concrete  color  objects 
chiefly  engaged  them.  The  Homeric  bards,  for  instance, 
reveal  leading  concern  in  colors  of  garb,  animals  and 
ships;  the  elusive,  indefinite  hues  of  Nature  as  dis- 
played in  her  broader  aspects  such  as  sea,  sky,  earth,  are 
mentioned,  and  yet  there  is  no  distinct  reference  to  the 
"blue"  of  the  heavens  and  the  ocean,  or  to  the  "green" 
of  foliage.15  The  enumeration  of  concrete  objects  of 
color  contained  in  the  Chronicles  of  the  Hebrew  Kings 
argues  a  fairly  substantial  equipment  for  color  notation.16 
Scriptural  passages  such  as  the  first  chapter  of  Ezekiel 
reveal  a  color  sense  far  from  blunt  and  anything  but  a 
limited  terminology.  Yet  a  fair  demonstration  of  the 
superiority  of  modern  color  nomenclature  over  that  of 
ancient  days  will  be  had  if  a  biblical  account  of  Solo- 
mon's Temple — with  its  recurrence  of  "blue"  and  "pur- 
ple" and  "scarlet" — be  set  over  against  a  typical  color 
passage  from  any  one  of  a  score  of  representative  mod- 
ern poets.  Shelley,  Keats,  Tennyson,  Swinburne,  would 
afford  instance  after  instance  of  the  richness  of  English 
color  symbolism.  No  less  rich  in  colors  are  the  works 
of  the  modern  German  poets.  Among  Germany's  greater 
literary  artists  of  the  last  century  and  a  half,  Lessing 
stands  well-nigh  isolated  in  his  faint  color  sense.17  Pas- 
sages from  Voss,  Goethe,  Schiller,  Uhland,  the  leading 


15  Grant   Allen,    Colour-Sense,   pp.   268  ff.;    A.   G.    Keller, 
Homeric  Society,  75-6. 

16  Grant  Allen,  Colour-Sense,  pp.  273  ff. 

17  Cf.    Edward    Thorstenberg,    Lessing's    Appreciation    of 
Color  as  an  Element  of  Effect  in  Poetry,  Yale  Dissertation,  1904. 
This   investigation,  based  upon  a  minute  analysis  of   Lessing's 
complete  works,  conclusively  proves  that  Lessing  lacked  spon- 
taneous  feeling  for  color,  that  his  early  indifference  gradually 
grew  to  the  undisguised  dislike  of  colors  that  is  evinced  in  his 
Laokoon. 


COLORS  71 

older  and  younger  Romanticists,  would  supply  adequate 
evidence — were  evidence  necessary — of  the  color  opu- 
lence of  German  poetry.  The  prominence  of  color  im- 
pressions as  poetic  media  is  increasing,  if  anything, 
among  German  writers,  and  this  must  necessarily  stimu- 
late the  development  and  the  refinement  of  the  poetic 
color  vocabulary.  Sudermann  and  Hauptmann  are  pro- 
nounced colorists.  Enumeration  of  all  the  striking  in- 
stances of  color  in  Hauptmann,  would  include  passages 
from  many  of  his  plays.  Not  only  are  the  speeches  of 
Hauptmann's  prominent  characters  often  rich  in  color — 
recall,  for  instance,  Hanneles  Himmelfahrt  and  Die 
Versunkene  Glocke — but  the  scenic  and  personal  de- 
scriptions, the  elaborate  stage  details  at  the  beginning 
of  each  act,  frequently  abound  in  reference  to  concrete 
objects  of  color.  Die  Weber,  especially  the  introductory 
pictures  of  Acts  II,  IV  and  V,  are  good  cases  in  point. 
Persistent  appeal  to  the  color  sense  and  recourse  to  color 
imagery  are  characteristic  of  a  large  proportion  of  cur- 
rent literary  productions  in  Germany.  The  influence  of 
Naturalism  has  been  further  to  encourage  the  traditional 
tendency,  to  the  end  that  we  frequently  observe  in  the 
writers  of  the  day  an  extraordinary  virtuosity  in  verbal 
reproduction  of  the  most  elusive  refinements  of  lights 
and  colors.  Noteworthy  is  the  persistence  of  the  teleo- 
logic  principle  in  an  artistic  sense;  the  colors  are  made 
to  subserve  definite  ends,  to  set  off  and  in  a  measure  to 
condition  the  human  emotions  portrayed.  E.  von  Keyser- 
ling's  Dumala  well  illustrates  the  frank  conscientiousness 
with  which  many  a  modern  German  writer  adjusts 
nature's  color  effects  to  man's  moods.  Whether  virtu- 
osity does  not  now  and  again  carry  the  modern  writer 
beyond  the  limits  of  judicious  moderation  is,  for  the 
present,  beside  the  point. 


72          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

The  color  sense  on  its  linguistic  side  is  of  importance 
in  literary  criticism  as  bearing  directly  upon  the  subject 
of  poetic  expression.  Color  terms  were  originally  all 
concrete  object-names,  and  they  retain  for  most  of  us 
their  primitive  substantive  fibre — however  logician  and 
psychologist  may  regard  them.18  It  follows  that  the 
color  element  may  throw  helpful  light  upon  matter  and 
manner  of  a  poet's  imagination,  upon  objectivity  and 
sensuousness  of  style,  upon  primitiveness  and  cultivation 
and  indirectly  therefore  upon  virility  and  refinement  of 
diction. 

We  have  emphasized  elsewhere  the  abundance  of 
sensuous  symbolism  in  Hebbel's  lyric  poems.  With  all 
his  passion  for  soul  problems  and  his  inborn  fondness 
for  delving  into  the  mysteries  of  existence,  Hebbel  yet 
instinctively  employed  as  the  chief  medium  of  his 
thought  terms  taken  from  the  world  of  sense. 

The  mere  numerical  preponderance  of  color  terms 
among  his  sensuous  symbols  would  not  in  itself  indicate 
any  departure  from  normal  perceptual  habit.  But  there 
is  abundant  evidence  in  the  lyrics  that  the  luminous 
manifestations  of  the  external  world  appealed  to  Hebbel 
with  extraordinary  intensity.  We  find  instance  after  in- 
stance where  color  and  light  are  either  exclusively  se- 
lected or  where  these  elements  are  accorded  unmistakable 
preeminence : 

"  Auf  steht  die  Jungfrau,  bleich  und  krank, 
Und  tritt  zu  ihrem  Kleiderschrank, 
Und  was  sie  aus  dem  Schranke  nimmt, 
Das  gluht  und  leuchtet,  glanzt  und  flimmt. 


18  Grant  Allen,  The  Colour-Sense,  pp.  250  ff.     Marty,  Die 
Frage  nach  d.  geschicht.  Entw.  d.  Farbensinnes,  pp.  146-7. 


COLORS  73 

Die  bleiche  Jungfrau  hangt  sich  stumm 
Das  funkelnde  Geschmeide  um, 
Ein  weisses  Kleid,  fast  schauerlich, 
Schlingt  um  die  edeln  Glieder  sich. 
Und  auf  dem  Tische,  klar  und  rein, 
Blinkt  in  Kristall  ein  dunkler  Wein, 
Ein  Silber-  und  ein  Goldpocal 
Dabei,  wie  fiir  ein  festlich  Mahl. 
Sie  tritt  zum  Spiegel,  fest  und  schnell, 
Ihr  Bild  strait  ihr  entgegen  hell, 
Unheimlich  lachelt  sie  sich  an, 
Zum  blanken  Tische  tritt  sie  dann." 

Hochseit,  Is.  3-6;  13-24  (VII,  128) 

True,  the  nature  of  the  subject,  the  actual  predomi- 
nance of  color  attributes  in  the  thing  described  may  ac- 
count for  the  eighteen  color  terms  that  appear  in  the 
above  description.  The  determining  factor  however  is 
not  the  subject  itself  but  the  poet's  perception  of  it. 
Often  where  other  attributes  are  equally  salient,  prece- 
dence is  given  to  colors.  They  appear  prominently  in  de- 
scriptions where  their  omission  would  scarcely  be  noted, 
thus  acquiring  added  expressiveness  from  the  surprise 
they  afford.  The  ballads  and  romances  are  studded  with 
them;  often  cropping  out  here  in  some  minor  feature, 
some  incidental  trait,  their  lively  imagery  quickens  the 
recital  of  vague  and  visionary  deeds.19  On  every  hand 


19         "Dunkelroth  im  Morgenlicht 

Gliih'n  des  Schlosses  blanke  Zinnen  " 

Ritter  Fortunat,  5-6  (VII,  88) 

"  Wenn  die  Scheere  in  den  Haaren 
Und  das  Beil  im  Nacken  blitzt " 

Voter  Unser,  19-20  (VI,  169) 

Cf.  also  Vater  Unser  1;  13-4  (VI,  169).  Similar  allusions  occur 
in:  Vater  und  Sohn,  9-12;  37-40  (VI,  427);  Wohin  so  flink, 
25-32  (VI,  441);  Wiedersehen,  throughout  (VII,  109);  Der 
Haideknabe,  10  (VI,  166);  Eine  moderne  Ballade,  1-4;  21-8 
(VII,  188). 


74          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

we  have  naive  expression  of  this  preference  for  colors. 
"Die  Busenblumen  bunt  und  klar"  Hebbel  writes  in  the 
poem  Das  Kind  (VI,  189,  1.  7),  again  selecting  the  color 
of  the  flowers,  although  fragrance  and  delicate  form 
might  have  been  quite  as  appropriate,  for  the  flowers 
adorn  a  dead  mother's  bosom.  Presumably  a  child  would 
be  most  attracted  even  here  by  the  hues  of  the  blossoms, 
and  it  is  with  a  child's  sentiments  that  this  poem  deals. 
Indeed  Hebbel  responds  to  the  sensations  of  color  with  a 
naive  eagerness  somewhat  akin  to  a  child's,  a  childlike 
susceptibility  to  such  impressions  characterizes  his  fancy 
throughout  and  imparts  a  blitheness  even  to  his  more 
abstract  creations: 

"  Ich  will  das  rohe  Feuer  nicht, 

Das,  durch  kein  Maass  zuriickgehalten, 
Hervor,  wie  aus  der  Holle,  bricht, 

Um  gleich  dem  Element  zu  walten; 
Ich  will  den  Funken  aus  den  Hoh'n, 

Der  sanft  der  Seele  sich  verbiindet 
Und  langsam  wachsend,  immer  schon, 

Zuletzt  zur  Flamme  sich  entzundet : 
Zur  Flamme,  die  den  Leib  durchstralt, 

Ihn  nicht  verzehrt  in  blindem  Toben, 
Und  uns  im  reinsten  Purpur  malt, 

Wie  sich  Natur  und  Geist  verwoben, 
Als  war'  zum  ersten  Mai  ein  Stern 

In  menschlicher  Gestalt  erschienen,"  etc.,  etc. 

Auf  die  Deutsche  Kiinstlerin,  1-14  (VI,  282) 2° 

If  Hebbel's  colors  be  isolated,  one  is  impressed  with 
their  uniform  persistency.    Dividing  the  entire  epoch  of 


20  Cf.  also  Granze  des  Denkens  (VI,  446) ;  Der  Mensch 
und  die  Outer  des  Lebens  (VI,  445) ;  Der  Phonix  (VI,  331)  ; 
Das  Licht  will  sich  verstecken  (VII,  173).  The  following  pas- 
sage from  the  diaries  further  illustrates  the  point  just  made: 
"Was  Styl  in  der  Kunst  ist,  das  begreifen  die  Leute  am  wenig- 
sten.  So  in  der  Tragodie,  dass  die  Idee  im  ersten  Act  als 


COLORS  75 

Hebbel's  poetic  productivity — from  1828  till  his  death 
in  1863 — into  periods  of  approximately  equal  time- 
lengths,  and  isolating  the  color  terms  in  the  poems  of  the 
respective  periods,  we  shall  find  that  there  is  but  slight 
variation  in  the  frequency  of  these  color  terms. 

For  example,  we  may  make  a  four-period  division. 
The  decade  1828-1838,  which  covers  Hebbel's  lyrical  ap- 
prenticeship, may  serve  as  time  unit.  Hebbel's  whole 
poetic  career  contains  three  and  a  half  of  such  periods, 
the  last  one  breaking  off  midway,  at  the  noon  of 
the  poet's  maturity.  The  first  of  these  four  time 
sections  shows  the  highest  proportion  of  color  terms, 
roughly  one  in  eight  lines.  There  is  a  slight  decrease  in 
the  decade  1838-1848,  the  proportion  being  one  in  nine 
lines,  which  is  followed  by  more  marked  decrease  for 
the  decade  1848-1858,  one  in  twelve  lines.  The  closing 
five  years  afford  adequate  basis  for  a  projection  cover- 
ing the  time  lacking  to  round  out  the  decade.  In  this 
closing  period  the  proportion  swings  back  to  a  median 
between  the  mark  of  the  first  and  that  of  the  third  period, 
namely  one  in  ten  lines.  Thus  upon  the  basis  of  a  time 
division  that  regards  in  a  general  way  the  stages  of 
Hebbel's  poetic  development,  the  marked  employment  of 
colors  appears  to  be  fairly  sustained. 

The  consideration  of  the  qualitative  characteristics  of 
Hebbel's  colors  affords  further  instructive  data.  In  this 
connection  one  is  struck  with  the  frequency  of  terms 
bearing  on  brilliancy  and  luminosity,  such  as  Helle,  Licht, 
Glut,  Glanz,  Flamme,  Strahl,  Schein,  Feuer,  Funke. 


zuckendes  Licht,  im  zweiten  als  Stern,  der  mit  Nebeln  kampft, 
im  dritten  als  dammernder  Mond,  im  vierten  als  stralende  Sonne, 
die  Keiner  mehr  verlaugnen  kann,  und  im  funften  als  verzeh- 
render  und  zerstorender  Komet  hervortreten  muss — dass  werden 
sie  nie  fassen.  Sentenzen  werden  ihnen  immer  besser  zum 
Verstandniss  helfen,"  Tgb.  II,  2897. 


76          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

These  occur  sometimes  as  substantives,  sometimes  as 
verbs  and  as  adjectives,  with  corresponding  change  of 
form:  leuchten,  gltihen,  funkeln,  ftimmen,  glanzend, 
strahlend,  funkelnd,  etc.  Frequent  too  are  terms  that 
suggest  reflected  glitter,  or  lustre:  blank,  blinken,  pran- 
gen,  schimmern.  Among  the  colors  proper,  rot,  gold, 
blau,  weiss  are  most  often  mentioned — again  colors  of 
relatively  high  luminous  intensity.  On  the  other  hand 
there  is  constant  reference  to  darkness,  to  shadow,  dusk 
and  gloom.  Hebbel  often  conjures  with  words  like 
finster,  duster,  dunkel,  ddmmern,  triib — sometimes  in 
combination  with  the  compatible  sombre  colors  schwarz, 
grau,  or  the  more  ghastly  blass  and  bleich.  Still  other 
common  color  symbols  are  the  less  definite  bunt,  klar  and 
rein.21 

In  his  chapter  on  the  growth  of  the  color  vocabulary,22 
Grant  Allen  employs  as  a  standard  of  comparison  the 
color  vocabulary  of  Swinburne's  "Poems  and  Ballads," 
as  being  representative  "of  the  spirit  of  traditional  poetry 
in  its  purest  form."  Allen  has  found  that  of  the  445 
color  terms  employed  by  Swinburne,  shades  at  the  red 
end  of  the  spectrum  constitute  73  per  cent.  Of  this,  pure 


21  Hebbel's  color  usage  differs  materially  from  that  of  the 
Romanticist  Tieck.     With  the  latter,  the  less  definite  forms  of 
visible   light  are  often  alluded  to.     Schein  occurs   much   more 
frequently    than    the    more    sensuous    Funke,    Flamme,   Strahl. 
Tieck's  favorite  colors  are  rot,  golden,  blau,  grtin  (the  latter  is 
seldom  lacking  in  his  landscape  pictures).     In  poems  that  by  a 
quaint  conceit  portray   the  character   and   temperament   of  the 
various    musical    intruments,    the   color    allusions    become    con- 
spicuously frequent  and  rich.    The  prodigality  of  Tieck's  colors, 
the  too  obvious  contrivance  of  most  of  the  color  groupings,  and 
the  confusing  unreality  of  the  colors  in  his  landscapes,  due  to 
the  willful  selection  of  startling  shades — these  are  among  the 
more  conspicuous  marks  of  Tieck's  style.     See  Ludwig  Tiecks 
Lyrik,  Wilh.  Miessner,  Litterar-historische  Forschungen,  XXIV 
Heft,  Berlin,  1902. 

22  Grant  Allen,  The  Colour- Sense,  Ch.  XII. 


COLORS  77 

reds  (including  rosy,  crimson,  sanguine,  ruddy,  and  scar- 
let) contribute  36  per  cent;  yellow  (including  gold)  32 
per  cent ;  and  purple  5  per  cent.  The  violet-end  spectral 
hues — blue,  violet,  green — furnish  110  terms  or  24  per 
cent.  This  gives  marked  prominence  to  the  warm  colors. 

In  the  poems  taken  as  basis  of  our  investigation,  Heb- 
bel  employs  in  all  278  color  terms  proper.23  The  warm 
colors  supply  approximately  half  of  these,  144  terms  or 
52  per  cent.  The  colder  blues  and  greens  occur  29  times 
each,  thus  supplying  21  per  cent  of  the  total.  The  bal- 
ance is  made  up  by  the  colors  weiss  (27  times),  schwarz 
(23  times),  grau  (14  times),  braun  (8  times),  and  silber 
(4  times). 

It  will  be  observed  that  while  Swinburne  has  over 
three  times  as  many  warm  colors  as  cold,  Hebbel  em- 
ploys less  than  two  and  one  half  times  as  many.  Further- 
more, the  whites  and  blacks,  the  grays  and  browns,  of 
which  no  mention  is  made  in  Swinburne,  aggregate  72 
cases  in  Hebbel.  Whereas  pink  does  not  appear  in  Swin- 
burne, rosa  occurs  six  times  in  Hebbel. 

In  other  respects  the  two  poets  exhibit  substantial 
agreement  in  usage.  Both  omit  reference  to  orange,  lilac, 
azure,  saffron  and  lavender.  Both  allude  most  fre- 
quently to  red.  So  that  while  Hebbel  displays  a  trifle 
more  variety,  like  Swinburne  he  shows  preference  for 
the  colors  that  suggest  the  general  aspect  rather  than 
those  that  render  the  more  delicate  refinements  of  ob- 
jects. Hebbel  thus  reflects,  quite  as  well  as  Swinburne, 
the  old  folk-poetry  "with  its  relatively  poor  but  strong 
vocabulary,  its  preference  for  bold  outline  to  finished 
detail."24 


23  The  whole  number  of  color  and  light  terms  used  by 
Hebbel   in   the   poems  examined,   including   colored  lights    and 
colors  proper,  is  1341. 

24  Grant  Allen,  The  Colour-Sense,  pp.  264  ff. 


78          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Recent  investigations  of  the  color  element  in  the  poetry 
of  Goethe,  Schiller,  Shakespeare,  Richard  Wagner  and 
others  were  overlooked  by  us  until  our  own  "Studies" 
were  virtually  finished.25  We  regret  this  oversight  the 
more  since  the  statistical  methods  developed  in  these 
other  investigations  might  profitably  have  been  followed 
in  our  own  tabulations,  and  the  uniform  presentation  thus 
secured  would  have  enabled  an  extended  comparison  of 
results.  As  it  is,  we  can  only  compare  cursorily  certain 
features  brought  out  in  the  different  investigations  with 
our  own  results  in  so  far  as  divergent  methods  of  group- 
ing and  statistical  calculation  do  not  invalidate  such 
comparison. 

As  regards  the  abundance  of  visual  data  among  the 
poets  investigated,  Franck's  and  Groos'  researches  permit 
the  following  generalizations.  Shakespeare's  narrative 
poems  have  a  larger  percentage  of  visual  allusions  than 
Spenser's  Faerie  Queen.  The  lyrics  of  Schiller's  youth 
show  relatively  more  frequent  resort  to  visual  impres- 
sions than  do  Shakespeare's  sonnets  and  poems.  Byron, 
as  far  as  examined,  is  about  on  a  par  with  Shakes- 
peare, while  Goethe,  strange  to  say,  falls  far  below  the 
average.  The  most  recent  German  lyric  poetry  reveals 
astonishing  fondness  for  the  qualities  associated  with 
light  and  color.  The  sonnets  in  Albert  H.  Rausche's 


25  Ludwig  Franck,  Statistische  Untersuchungen  iiber  die 
Verwendung  der  Farben  in  den  Dichtungen  Goethes,  Giessen, 
1909.  Karl  and  Marie  Groos,  Die  optischen  Qualitaten  in  der 
Lyrik  Schillers,  Zeitschrift  fur  Aesthetik,  1909,  S.  559-71.  Karl 
Groos,  Use  Netto  und  Marie  Groos,  Die  Sinnesdaten  im  "Ring 
des  Nibelungen,"  Archiv  fur  die  Gesammte  Psychologic,  XXII 
Band,  4  Heft,  S.  401  ff.  Karl  Groos  und  Use  Netto,  Ueber 
die  visuellen  Sinneseindrucke  in  Shakespeares  lyrischen  Dich- 
tungen, Englische  Studien,  43  Bd.,  1911,  S.  27  ff.  Moritz  Katz,  Die 
Schilderung  des  musikalischen  Eindrucks  bei  Schumann,  Hoff- 
mann und  Tieck,  Zeitschrift  fur  angewandte  Psychologic,  5 
Band,  1911. 


COLORS  79 

Buck  fur  Tristan,  1909,  have,  according  to  Groos,  rela- 
tively five  times  as  many  allusions  to  visual  qualities  as 
Shakespeare's  sonnets.  It  is  safe  to  assume  on  the  basis 
of  our  examples  and  illustrations  from  Hebbel  that  he 
approaches  the  modern  poets  in  his  constant  resort  to 
visual  media. 

Groos  estimates  that  the  bright  colors26  constitute  on 
the  average  between  one  fourth  and  one  fifth  of  the  total 
of  optic  qualities  mentioned  in  the  poetry  that  he  and 
others  have  examined.  Hebbel's  employment  of  these 
hues  is  a  trifle  below  the  average  of  frequency.  It  is 
noteworthy  that  in  the  text  of  Wagner's  "Ring  des 
Nibelungen,"  in  which  allusions  to  light  and  color  are 
very  abundant,  the  bright  colors  form  but  one  twenty- 
fourth  of  the  total. 

Red  persists  as  the  most  popular  color  with  the  poets. 
This  color  abounds  in  Shakespeare's  sonnets,  where  it 
forms  16  per  cent  of  the  visual  data  introduced.  The 
percentage  is  equally  high  with  Schiller  in  the  lyrics  of 
his  first  period,  that  is,  his  youth.  With  Goethe,  green 
is  almost  as  prominent  as  red  in  the  early  lyrics,  and 
quite  surpasses  red  in  the  lyrics  of  his  maturity.  Red  is 
decidedly  a  favorite  hue  with  Hebbel.  Of  the  278  colors 
that  he  employs,  83  are  red  or  its  associated  hues. 

The  neutral  colors27  rank  next  in  prominence  after  red 
in  Shakespeare,  Schiller  in  his  third  or  mature  period 
and  Goethe  throughout  his  entire  productivity  as  far  as 


26  The  term  "bright"  colors  is  here  used  for  "bunte  Far- 
ben"  as  employed  in  the   statistical   researches   mentioned.     In- 
cluded in  this  group  are  rot,  blau,  grtin,  purpur,  rosen,  gelb,  bunt, 
farbig.    Hebbel's  way  of  using  gold,  golden,  etc.,  seemed  to  war- 
rant the  inclusion  of  this  term  in  the  list  of  bright  colors.     We 
have  so  included  it  in  the  computation  of  his  "bunte  Farben." 

27  Groos  used  "neutrale   Farben"  to  include  weiss,  grau, 
schwarz,  hell,  dunkel. 


80          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tested.  With  Hebbel  these  colors  comprise  but  175  of 
the  total  1340  visual  allusions  occurring  in  his  lyrics. 

The  visual  phenomena  designated  by  Groos  as  the 
"Glanz,  Glut,  Schein"  group  generally  fall  below  the 
neutral  colors  in  point  of  frequency.  This  is  the  case 
in  Shakespeare's  sonnets,  in  Spenser,  in  Goethe  through- 
out and  in  Schiller's  third  period.  By  contrast,  the 
"Glanz"  group  slightly  surpasses  the  neutral  hues  numer- 
ically in  Schiller's  first  period,  increases  this  predomi- 
nance in  Goethe's  Faust,  Part  II,  and  reaches  astonishing 
preeminence  in  the  writings  of  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann, 
Tieck  and  Schumann.  Table  B  below  records  the  status 
in  Hebbel's  poems.28  A  comparison  of  the  figures  for 
Wagner  and  for  Hebbel  reveals  a  close  resemblance  be- 
tween the  two  men  in  this  particular.  In  the  "Ring," 
the  "Glanz"  terms  comprise  49  per  cent  of  all  visual 
phenomena  mentioned;  with  Hebbel,  approximately  49.6 
per  cent.  Comparing  the  vocabularies,  we  observe  that 
in  Faust  II  Goethe  employs  18  distinct  designations  for 
the  phenomena  of  this  type.  Wagner  in  his  "Ring"  has 
23  different  expressions,  while  Hebbel's  allusions  as  listed 
in  Table  B  have  about  the  same  number  as  Wagner's. 

The  partiality  to  "Glanz"  and  the  like  may  be  rooted 
in  a  peculiar  suitability  of  images  associated  with  gleam- 
ing, glowing  and  burning  for  the  suggestion  of  "fine 
frenzy."  Hence  their  prominence  in  descriptions  of  the 
rhapsodic  type,  flights  of  spiritual  exaltation,  ecstatic 
states  awakened  by  the  hearing  of  music  or  by  impas- 
sioned yet  profound  visions  such  as  inspired  Hebbel  at 
times.  The  singular  congeniality  of  radiance  and  lustre, 
of  glowing  and  flashing  with  resplendent  imagery  steeped 
in  religious  ardor  is  well  exhibited  in  the  per-fervid 
hymn  of  our  poet  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes : 

28  See  p.  145. 


COLORS  81 

1.  1  Lord  of  all  being !    Throned  afar, 

Thy  glory  flames  from  sun  and  star; 
1.  5  Sun  of  our  life,  Thy  quickening  ray 

Sheds  on  our  path  the  glow  of  day ; 

Star  of  our  hope,  thy  softened  light 

Cheers  the  long  watches  of  the  night. 
1.  10  Our  noontide  is  thy  gracious  dawn; 

Our  rainbow  arch  Thy  mercy's  sign ; 
1.  13          Lord  of  our  life,  below,  above, 

Whose  light  is  truth,  whose  warmth  is  love, 

Before  thy  ever-biasing  throne 

We  ask  no  lustre  of  our  own. 

Grant  us  Thy  truth,  to  make  us  free, 

And  kindling  hearts  that  burn  for  thee, 
1.  20  One  holy  light,  one  heavenly  flame! 

The  relative  frequency  of  the  "dunkel"  and  "hell" 
terms  affords  the  basis  for  an  interesting  comparison  of 
the  poetry  examined.  Thus  Wagner  employs  hell  and 
allied  expressions  more  often  than  dunkel  and  its 
associated  qualities,  whereas  Spenser  as  well  as  Goethe 
and  Schiller  in  their  youth  show  preference  for  dunkel. 
Table  C  below  shows  the  status  in  Hebbel's  usage.29 
The  five  most  important  expressions  of  the  "dunkel" 
variety  in  Hebbel's  poems  aggregate  roughly  172  in- 
stances. These  are  distributed  as  follows:  dunkel  76, 
duster  28,  finster  28,  Schatten  22,  triib  18.  Over  against 
this  there  are  158  references  in  Hebbel's  poems  to  quali- 
ties that  are  the  reverse  of  "dunkel."  The  chief  expres- 
sions of  this  type  are  bleich  49,  hell  45,  blass  22,  klar  20, 
blank  16,  blond  6.  If  we  include  rein  12,  and  frisch  7 
the  total  is  increased  to  177.  So  that  Hebbel  shows  about 
an  equal  interest  for  the  "dunkel"  and  the  "hell"  phe- 
nomena. 

By  way  of  summary  we  may  compare  Hebbel's  visual 

29  See  p.  157. 


82          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

data  with  Wagner's  as  follows:  Both  poets  show  dis- 
tinct preference  for  optic  as  against  acoustic  phenomena, 
the  preponderance  of  optic  qualities  being  especially 
marked  in  the  case  of  Wagner.  Hebbel's  employment  of 
the  "bright"  colors  falls  but  slightly  below  the  average 
estimates  of  Groos,  whereas  Wagner's  "Ring"  is  char- 
acterized by  an  exceptional  tendency  to  avoid  "bunte 
Farben."  Hebbel  does  not  use  the  "neutral"  colors  with 
the  frequency  customary  with  most  poets,  but  he  stands 
upon  the  same  plane  with  Wagner  in  the  extraordinarily 
large  number  of  allusions  to  "Glanz,  Glut,  Schein." 

In  the  matter  of  the  specific  colors  employed,  no 
marked  change  is  observable  in  the  different  stages  of 
Hebbel's  career.  The  glaring  colors  that  appear  in  his 
early  verse  had  apparently  lost  for  him  little  of  their 
fascination  in  the  years  of  maturity.  The  gleams  and 
flashes,  the  intense  reds  and  golds  assume  practically  the 
same  prominence  in  the  successive  periods.  Similarly 
no  epoch  displays  in  contrast  with  others  any  exceptional 
preference  for  the  more  quiet  tints.  From  stage  to  stage 
there  is  substantial  equivalence,  both  as  regards  the  num- 
ber of  color  terms  in  general  and  as  regards  the  occur- 
rence of  specific  hues. 

It  must  be  emphasized  that  this  numerical  equivalence 
does  not  reflect  the  color  employment  of  certain  arbitra- 
rily selected  poems  merely ;  rather  does  it  represent  quite 
faithfully  the  general  tendency  of  the  respective  stages. 
Brilliancy,  lustre,  intense  shades  as  well  as  certain  sombre 
colors  characterize  the  majority  of  his  poems  of  the 
early  and  middle  period.  The  same  color  features  domi- 
nate a  large  number  of  his  late,  even  his  latest  poems. 
As  evidence  of  this  late  continuance  numerous  poems 
might  be  cited ;  any  extended  list  would  be  sure  to  include 
Der  Princess  Marie  Wittgenstein  (1858)  ;  Das  Geheim- 


COLORS  83 

niss  der  Schonheit  (1859)  ;  Drei  Schwestern  (1859)  ; 
Auf  ein  sehr  schbnes  junges  Mddchen  (1862)  ;  Lustig 
tritt  ein  schoner  Knabe  (1863).30  We  may  then  posit, 
as  the  first  observation,  that  Hebbel's  colors  are  prac- 
tically uniform  both  as  to  number  and  as  to  specific 
variety.  This  observation,  which  rests  upon  the  colors 
in  their  numerical  isolation,  is  borne  out  by  the  investi- 
gation of  their  structural  part  in  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry 
both  early  and  late.  The  inference  is  therefore  war- 
ranted that  with  Hebbel  the  color  love  was  innate,  that 
his  poetic  expression  of  it  was  in  the  main  instinctive 
and  not  derived.  As  his  colors  were  not  the  borrowed 
airs  of  youth,  so  they  were  not  later  discarded  as  unbe- 
coming to  the  soberer  demeanor  of  manhood. 

Our  analysis  thus  far  has  been  qualitative  in  so  far  as 
it  has  noted  the  varieties  of  color  and  light  that  appear 
in  the  lyrics.  We  now  proceed  to  a  quantitative  analysis, 
to  an  enumeration  of  the  concrete  color  objects  in  the 
poet's  environment  that  stimulated  him  both  through 
their  sensuous  beauty  and  their  spiritual  import. 

Nature 

The  diaries  exhibit  Hebbel's  susceptibility  to  elemental 
grandeurs  of  the  heavens  and  of  heavenly  bodies.  In- 
tense blue  of  sky  filled  him  with  a  childlike  gleefulness 
that  breaks  through  in  a  number  of  poems.31  He  shares 
with  poets  of  his  own  and  other  lands  a  deep  passion  for 
glories  of  sunrise  or  sunset,  for  the  solace  of  evening's 
lingering  lights,  for  the  terrifying  beauty  of  lightning 
and  the  enchantment  of  star-studded  night.32  Nor  are 

3°  VI,  403;  VI,  404;  VI,  405;  VI,  426;  VI,  437. 

si  Tgb.  Ill,  3318,  p.  19. 

32  Sunrise  or  sunset,  Tgb.  I,  192;  268;  314;  341;  460; 
Tgb.  II,  2839,  Is.  63  ff. ;  2923.  Lightning  flashes,  Tgb.  IV,  5391 ; 
Tgb.  I,  327;  337;  841.  Starry  gleams,  Tgb.  I,  841;  1246;  1349; 


84          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

less  brilliant  illuminations  unappreciated, — cold,  leaden 
sky  broken  by  shafts  of  dull,  brazen  light,  where  the  sun 
sifts  through  translucent  clouds.83  Brief  allusion  as  well 
as  more  detailed  picture  attest  something  beside  vivid- 
ness of  impression,  even  the  earliest  descriptions  exhibit- 
ing susceptibility  alike  to  intrinsic  and  to  borrowed  charm 
of  color.  The  fancies  awakened  by  low,  solitary  sun, 
flooding  lonely  sea  with  undulating  fire,  well  illustrate 
the  stimulus  afforded  by  impressions  of  celestial  light.34 
What  raises  such  spiritualized  impressions  high  above 
prosaic  reflection  is  the  intensity  that  accompanies  them. 
Reflective  fantasy  steeped  in  emotion,  converting  pro- 
saic abstraction  into  "ahnungsreiche  Natur-  und  Seelen- 
momente,"  stamps  the  bulk  of  Hebbel's  nature  poems, 
which  are  fervid  though  conceptual,  passionate  though 
at  times  definitely  thematic.  From  the  very  first  his 
intoxication  must  have  been  in  part  a  delight  by  thought 
supplied.  In  his  early  home  he  must  often  have  been 
awed  or  transported  by  the  sublime  phases  of  celestial 
coloring,  so  that  these  became  for  him  the  gateway  to  a 
poetic  paradise.  Such  experience  left  powerful  impres- 
sions, which  could  be  ideally  reproduced.  We  know 
that  he  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  and  the  beauties 
of  poetry  in  childhood  while  reading  aloud  to  his  mother 
from  Paul  Gerhardt's  hymn  the  verses  beginning,  "Die 
goldnen  Sternlein  prangen  am  blauen  Himmelssaal."35 

It  is  imperative  to  bear  this  double  aspect  of  Hebbel's 
lights  constantly  in  mind,  to  realize  continually  that  in 
his  own  experience  sky  colors  blend  in  extraordinary 


1401;  1676.  Moonlight,  Tgb.  I,  338;  1349;  1702;  1702  b;  Tgb.  IV, 
5391. 

S3  Tgb.  IV,  5283. 

a*  Tgb.  I,  119.  Cf.  also  the  description  of  Paris,  II,  2839, 
Is.  63  ff. 

SB  Tgb.  I,  134. 


COLORS  85 

measure  with  colors  from  lands  unseen.  Such  "illustra- 
tion" is  utilized  with  great  success  in  the  lyric  poems, 
and  while  the  illuminations  seldom  have  the  elaborate 
grandeur  of  Shelley's,  they  have  often  a  simple  power 
by  reason  of  their  very  brevity  of  detail.  Beside  revelling 
in  these  lights  themselves,  Hebbel  is  impressed  by  the 
lustre  of  things  terrestrial  when  exposed  to  such  lights. 
We  have  striking  illustrations  of  this  kind  in  the  diaries : 
a  church  tower  plunged  by  the  setting  sun  into  flaming 
contrast  with  the  deepening  gloom  of  things  around; 
bands  of  red  sunlight  that  pierce  the  forest,  refining 
brown  tree-stumps  into  dark  gold,  ennobling  dripping 
rain  into  gems.36  Once  lodged,  such  impressions  are 
apt  to  be  indelible,  sometimes  entering  years  after  into 
scene  or  song.37  It  is  the  same  with  the  less  spectacular 
phases  of  color  in  heaven  and  earth.  The  sonnet  to 
Ludwig  Uhland  suggests  nature's  softer  lights,  which 
charm  by  some  power  in  them  to  touch  objects  with  a 
strange  enchanting  sheen: 

"  Wie,  wenn  die  Dammerung  das  bunte  Leben 
Schon  in  den  diistergrauen  Schleier  hiillt, 
Ein  letzter  Stral  dem  Abendroth  entquillt, 
In  welchem  die  Gestalten  sanft  verschweben; 

"  Da  grunt  der  Hain,  wie  nie  zuvor,  da  heben 
Die  Blumen  sich,  wie  nimmer,  schon  und  mild, 
Da  scheint  sich  in  ein  zauberisch  Gefild 
Der  Himmel  mit  der  Erde  zu  verweben,"  etc. 

An  Ludwig  Uhland,  1-8  (VII,  99) 


36  Tgb.  Ill,  5210  (Nov.  26,  1853).    Tgb.  IV,  5313  (July  26, 
1854).    Tgb.  IV,  5283  (July  26,  1854). 

37  Cf.  Der  letzte  Baum,  VI,  411 ;  Wien,  July  28,  1860.    See 
Vorfrtihling,  VI,  228.    Also  Tgb.  I,  1361 :  "Draussen  ist  wahrhaft 
goldener    Sonnenschein,    der    in    einem    mir    schrag    gegentiber 
liegenden  Gartchen  einen  kleinen  Baum,  der  npch  immer  hart- 
nackig  seine  Blatterkrone  fest  halt,  feenhaft  lieblich  bescheint. 
Es  konnten  Friihlingstraume  in  mir  aufkommen " 


86          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

The  artistic  rigor  that  injects  nothing  gratuitously, 
observable  to  a  degree  in  Hebbel's  elemental  lights,  also 
appears  in  the  colors  of  his  landscapes.  A  dramatic 
quality  inheres  in  many  of  the  scenes  pictured  for  us, 
because  as  background  of  the  situations  supposed  they 
stand  in  sympathetic  or  antipathetic  relations  with  the 
dominant  mood.  In  some  of  the  earliest  of  the  land- 
scapes the  suspicion  of  conventionality  is  unavoidable, 
but  as  Hebbel  matures  we  note  in  these  descriptions  the 
ever  firmer  touch  of  individual  power,  revealed  chiefly 
in  a  trend  toward  closeness,  in  an  impressionistic  ten- 
dency to  suggest  by  a  few  strokes. 

This  economy  of  detail  helps  appreciably  toward  se- 
curing the  quality  that  most  distinguishes  Hebbel's 
nature  pictures.  Always  an  emotional  light  plays  over 
these  pictures,  as  though  issuing  from  a  presence  in  them 
of  some  spirit  intimately  akin  with  human  life.  This 
modern  manner  of  emotionalizing  nature  was  essen- 
tially retained  by  Hebbel  even  after  Uhland  taught  him 
not  to  project  poetic  feeling  into,  but  to  evoke  it  out  of 
nature.38  In  this  obscure  formula  there  lies  expressed 
Hebbel's  early  solution  of  the  problem  as  to  the  subjec- 
tive element  in  nature  poetry.  Whatever  it  may  have 
meant  with  him  in  theory,  in  practice  this  formula  ap- 
pears but  to  denote  the  distinction  between  a  lower  and 
a  higher  conceptual  intensity,  between  a  partial,  extrinsic 
impression  of  a  thing  and  an  intrinsic,  "plenary  sense" 
of  it.  To  judge  from  Hebbel's  poems  written  after  this 
formula  was  expressed,  he  no  longer  aims  to  dominate 
a  given  matter  reflectively,  but  to  be  dominated  by  it 
intuitively,  to  be  subsumed  through  communion  with  it  in 


88 ".  .  .  .  dass    der    Dichter    nicht    in    die    Natur    hinein- 
sondern  aus  ihr  heraus  dichten  musse."   (Tgb.  I,  136,  p.  29,  foot.) 


COLORS  87 

a  higher,  more  comprehensive  Ideal  Entity.39  The  pe- 
culiar quality  of  such  emotionalizing  of  nature — Dichten 
aus  ihr  heraus — is  not  always  appreciable.  In  Hebbel's 
poems  the  quality  is  sometimes  present  where  overlooked, 
or  mistaken  for  something  else  and  summarily  named  the 
supernatural,  or  the  mystical.  The  sub-natural  would  be 
a  more  fitting  designation,  more  conformable  to  Hebbel's 
definition.  Many  of  his  unpretentious  poems  unfold  a 
new  meaning  and  a  strange  beauty,  when  their  lights  and 
colors  become  expressive  media  of  that  "plenary  sense 
of  things,"  that  other  "Self"  manifest  in  Nature  and 
emerging  to  commune  with  its  counter-self  manifest  in 
Man.  And  so  Hebbel's  woods  and  fields  and  flowers 
often  display  more  than  physical  beauty  through  their 
colors,  for  we  are  conscious  at  times  of  a  secondary  halo 
irradiating  and  transfiguring  the  simpler  impressions.  Of 
this  poetic  emergence  of  Nature's  soul  we  have  a  beauti- 
ful phase  in  the  peculiar  affection  that  Hebbel  every- 
where expresses  for  flowers.  How  their  colors  and 
forms  enrich  life!  The  spiritual  sweetness  that  is  dis- 
tilled by  their  fragrance  may  move  even  cold  and  barren 
natures  to  momentary  tenderness.  In  Hebbel's  Nibelun- 
gen  he  lets  Brunhilde  utter  her  surprised  delight  when 
she  sees  for  the  first  time  the  flowers  that  our  poet  knew 
and  loved.  The  colors  of  the  sky,  the  stillness  of  the  air, 
the  hues  and  scent  of  the  violet  inspire  prophetic  mus- 
ings in  the  soul  of  this  northern  Princess  as  the  smiling 
southern  landscape  for  the  first  time  greets  her  eyes.  And 
as  if  a  new  source  of  self  were  revealed  to  her,  Brunhilde 


39  This  distinction  between  "dominating"  and  "being  domi- 
nated," as  characteristic  of  intellection  and  intuition  respectively, 
is  implied  in  such  passages  as:  Tgb.  I,  641,  p.  142,  Is.  2-4;  cf. 
also  Tgb.  I,  466;  1460;  1741,  Is.  105  ff.;  Tgb.  II,  2648. 


88          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

yields  to  a  moment's  gentleness  that  she  doubtless  sup- 
posed foreign  to  her  nature: 

Brunhild. 
Das  sind  wohl  Blumen  ?    Roth  und  Gelb  und  Griin ! 

Kriemhild. 
Du  sahst  sie  nie  und  kennst  die  Farben  doch? 

So  weisst  Du  nichts  vom  Duf t !  ( Sie  pfliickt  ihr  ein  Veil- 
chen.) 

Brunhild. 
O  der  ist  schon! 

Und  diese  kleine  Blume  haucht  ihn  aus, 
Die  einz'ge  die  mein  Auge  nicht  bemerkte  ? 
Der  mocht'  ich  einen  siissen  Namen  geben, 
Doch  hat  sie  wohl  schon  einen. 

Kriemhild. 

Keine  ist 

Demiitiger  als  sie 

und  dennoch  schmeichelt 

Sie  Dir  die  ersten  sanf  ten  Worte  ab 

Die  Nibelungen  II  (Siegfrieds  Tod,  Is.  1128  ff.) 

Animals 

A  conspicuous  trait  of  Hebbel's  nature  is  his  passion- 
ate interest  in  brute  creation.  This  interest  is  not  the 
sportsman's  or  the  naturalist's,  it  is  rather  the  warm- 
hearted mortal's  attachment  to  the  dumb  associates  of 
his  earthly  lot,  heightened  by  the  rapture  of  the  imagi- 
native poet  in  whom  the  ways  of  certain  common  animals 
awakened  intense  musings.40  There  are  memorials  of 
this  tender  attachment  scattered  through  the  diaries,  and 


40  Walter  Bagehot  infers  that  Shakespeare  was  an  out-of- 
doors  man,  combining  natural  sensibility  with  a  sportsman's  love 
of  the  chase.  Literary  Studies,  Shakespeare  the  Man. 


COLORS  89 

a  number  of  Hebbel's  poems  are  closely  linked  with  the 
life  of  some  household  pet  or  some  creature  of  wood  or 
field.  On  the  memorable  journey  afoot  from  Miinchen 
to  Hamburg,  Hebbel  cheerfully  carries  his  foot-sore 
poodle  "Hanschen"  a  considerable  part  of  the  way. 
When  his  faithful  dog  "Sindsal"  is  stricken  with  blind- 
ness, the  calamity  wrings  bitterest  reflections  from  the 
poet.  He  is  plunged  into  profound  grief  by  the  death 
of  his  squirrel,  which  is  recorded  in  a  pathetic  entry  in 
the  diaries,  and  the  beautiful  poem  Geheimniss  der 
Schonheit  owes  its  inspiration  to  Hebbel's  admiration  of 
this  beloved  pet.41 

Descriptions  of  animal  life  in  the  diaries  and  in  the 
poems  display  habitual  recourse  to  color  elements.  Not 
only  are  the  colors  of  skin,  coat  or  plumage  frequently 
noted,  but  a  moment  is  expressly  selected  that  presents 
these  in  some  conspicuous  phase  of  luminous  refraction. 
So  the  squirrel  is  pictured  leaping  gracefully  through  the 
trees,  the  bright  sunlight  lending  a  tint  of  enchantment 
to  the  delightful  scene.42  So  the  doves  are  sighted  flying 
in  the  glaring  sunlight  that  strikes  far  up  on  the  spire  of 
St.  Mark's.43  He  sketches  a  little  summer  scene  for  us, 
noting  the  gaudy  bluebottle  clinging  to  green  pine  tree, 
and  yellow  bird  flitting  about  fields  golden  with  hay.44 
The  descriptions  of  animal  life  in  the  poems  exhibit  the 
same  predilection  for  color  and  light  effects;  glistening 
scales  of  fishes  darting  about  the  boat's  keel ;  glossy  coat 


41  Tgb.  IV,  5639;  5701;  5704;  5736;  5775;  5937;  5938.    See 
the  poems  Geheimniss  der  Schonheit,  VI,  404;  Meisengliick,  VI, 
284;  Das  Hermelin,  VI,  264. 

42  Kuh,  Biographic  Fried.  Hebbels,  II,  p.  677.    Cf .  Tgb.  IV, 
5928. 

43  Tgb.  Ill,  5145.    Cf.  the  metaphor  applied  to  the  person- 
ages in  Schiller's  Wallenstein's  Lager :  "all'  diese  Miicken  und 
Ameisen  tanzen  im  Sonnenstral,"  Tgb.  IV,  5769,  Is.  11-12. 

44  Tgb.  IV,  5285. 


90          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

of  the  kitten  playing  in  the  sunlight ;  the  swans'  shimmer- 
ing reflection  in  the  dark  water;  butterflies  swarming  in 
the  golden  sun : 

"  Manch  Fischlein,  blank  und  munter : — 
Umgaukelt  keck  den  Cast  " 

Der  junge  Schiffer,  9-10  (VI,  145) 

"  Sieh,  das  Katzchen  kommt  gesprungen, 
Wie  es  glanzt  im  Morgenstral !" 

Aus  der  Kindheit,  13-4  (VI,  194) 

"  Zwei  schimmernde  Schwane,  sie  schiffen  daher," 

Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder,  3  (VI,  212) 

"  Nur  leise  strich  ein  weisser  Schmetterling ;" 

SommerbUd,  6  (VI,  230) 

"  Nimm  ihm  mit  dem  blauen  Ring  seinen  weissen  Flugel" 
Der  beste  Liebesbrief,  7-8  (VI,  285) 

"  Es  wimmelte  von  Faltern  im  gold'nen  Sonnenstral," 

Ein  Wald,  51-2  (VI,  397) 


Man 

In  the  diaries  there  are  numerous  personal  descrip- 
tions, both  of  individuals  and  of  groups,  in  which  color 
qualities  are  conspicuous.  Whether  portrayal  is  confined 
chiefly  to  external  features,  or  is  extended  to  emotional 
and  temperamental  characteristics,  invariably  lights  or 
colors  or  both  serve  to  sharpen  the  image.  The  effect  of 
such  diary  passages  is  to  confirm  the  impression  con- 
veyed by  the  poems  as  a  whole  that  colors  were  the  first 
things  to  stimulate  Hebbel's  sense  and  fancy  and  the 
last  things  to  fade  from  his  memory.  The  pictures  of 
single  figures  generally  introduce  color  of  eye  and  hair, 


COLORS  91 

complexional  tint,  strange  pallor  or  glow  that  lights  the 
countenance  as  if  from  within.45  Not  infrequently  the 
shade  of  dress  is  noticed,  and  this  is  particularly  apt  to 
occur  when  white  predominates.  The  group  pictures 
have  recourse  to  the  same  elements,  but  are  often  en- 
livened by  allusion  to  color  objects  in  the  environment, 
or  to  the  extraordinary  conditions  of  the  illuminations, 
whether  natural  or  artificial.46  Under  certain  circum- 
stances, such  extraordinary  illumination  may  become  the 
dominant  element  of  a  picture.  The  striking  description 
in  the  diaries  of  the  performers  at  a  Berlioz  rehearsal, 
which  vividly  recalled  scenes  of  his  early  life,  well  exem- 
plifies the  powerful  effect  of  lights  and  colors  upon  Heb- 
bel's  fancy.  Characteristically  enough,  Hebbel  is  stimu- 
lated far  less  by  the  sounds  of  the  instruments  than  by 
the  strange  lights  cast  upon  the  players'  faces  by  the 
flickering  lamps: 

".  .  .  .  Ich  horte,  freilich  zerhackt  und  zerstiickelt, 
schone  Musik  und  wurde  durch  die  dammernden 
Lampen,  die  von  ihrem  Licht  rothlich  beglanzten 
Gesichter  der  Orchester-Mitglieder  und  den  im  Anfang 
noch  halb  finstern  Saal  in  meine  Jugend  zuruckversetzt ; 
sogar  der  Frost  in  den  Fiissen  trug  das  Seinige  dazu  bei. 
In  meinem  Geburtsort  wurden  in  der  Adventzeit  und  an 
den  hohen  Festtagen  der  Christenheit  Kirchen-Musiken 
aufgefiihrt;  ....  Lampen,  die  mit  der  Finsterniss  zu 
kampfen  schienen,  weil  ihre  matten  Flammen  zitterten, 
verbreiteten  ein  rothliches  Licht,  das  all  den  wohlbe- 
kannten  Gesichtern  in  meinen  Augen  etwas  Ueberir- 
disches  verlieh  und  sie  hoch  uber  die  anderen  Menschen, 
die  sich  nach  und  nach  hustend  und  rauspernd  unter 
und  neben  mir  einfanden,  hinaushob,  jede  Bewegung,  die 
sie  machten,  das  Taschentuch,  das  der  Organist  zog,  die 
Brille,  die  der  Stadtmusikus  aufsetzte,  vor  Allem  aber 


«  Tgb.  I,  155. 
*6Tgb.  I,  155. 


92          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

die  Noten-Biicher,  wenn  sie  auf  die  Pulte  gelegt  wurden, 

hatte  fur  mich  etwas  Religioses Wenn  ich  mich 

jener  Empfindungen  jetzt  erinnere,  so  muss  ich  sagen: 
ich  schwamm  im  Element  der  Poesie,  wo  die  Dinge  nicht 
sind,  was  sie  scheinen,  und  nicht  scheinen,  was  sie  sind, 
das  Wunder  der  weltlichen  Transsubstantiation  voll- 
brachte  sich  in  meinem  Gemuth  und  alle  Welten  flossen 
durch  einander.  Gar  abscheulich-niichtern  ward  mir 
hinterher  zu  Muth,  wenn  die  Lampen  ausgeloscht  und  die 
Notenpulte  weggesetzt  wurden,  wenn  die  Musiker  sich 
zuriickzogen,  wenn  ordinaire,  verschnupfte  Menschen  die 
Orgel  fiillten  und  sich  mit  ihrem  Gesangbuch  blockend 
dahin  stellten,  wo  kurz  zuvor  Horner  und  Hoboen  im 
Lampenschein  geheimnissvoll  geblinkt  und  geklungen 
hatten,  wenn  dann  der  kleine  pausbackige  Pastor  auf  die 
Kanzel  stieg  und  allein  das  Wort  nahm,  und  wenn  noch 
obendrein  Emilie  ausblieb,  Emilie  in  ihrem  blauen  Kleide, 
in  die  ich  von  meinem  4ten  Jahre  an  verliebt  war !...." 
Tgb.  II,  2867,  Is.  3-10 ;  20-29 ;  35-49. 

Man  is  of  course  a  prominent  issue  with  Hebbel  in  his 
poems,  and  so  an  especial  interest  attaches  to  the  figure 
pictures.  Here  as  in  his  nature  pictures,  Hebbel  appar- 
ently regarded  colors  as  especially  adapted  to  convey  his 
particular  intuition  of  a  personal  subject  or  a  situation. 
By  strokes  well  judged  the  general  physical  type  or  the 
distinguishing  feature  is  firmly  caught,  or  a  transient 
expression  of  countenance  is  fixed  in  the  mind.  The 
descriptions  are  brief,  the  details  are  confined  to  what  is 
salient  or  characteristic.  The  colors,  which  here  again 
are  often  the  predominant  attributes  chosen,  serve  chiefly 
symbolic  ends.  They  are  employed  as  outward  signs  of 
what  is  within,  as  exponents  of  character,  as  concomi- 
tants of  attendant  mood,  as  portents  of  what  is  to  befall. 
Color  of  hair,  lustre  of  eye,  tint  of  brow  or  cheeks  or 
hand,  not  infrequently  constitute  a  sensuous  symbol 
about  which  as  a  nucleus  are  clustered  impressions  of 


COLORS  93 

personality  pensive  or  sprightly,  of  emotion  playful  or 
intense,  of  gay  or  sombre  action,  or  of  impending  doom. 
In  a  volume  of  Freiligrath's  poems,  Hebbel  frankly  ex- 
presses greater  admiration  for  a  translation  of  a  poem 
of  Thomas  Moore's  than  for  all  the  original  composi- 
tions in  the  book.  In  this  poem  the  passionate  maiden 
is  portrayed  through  concrete  symbols  in  which  ideas 
of  luminous  impression  abound.47  As  an  analysis  would 
tend  to  show,  such  symbolic  portrayal  of  mood,  tempera- 
ment, character  through  terms  of  color  is  a  distinctive 
feature  of  Hebbel's  lyric  style  throughout  the  entire 
period  of  his  productivity: 

1.  "viel  blasse  schone  Jungfrau'n  gar," 

Wiedersehen,  6  (VII,  134) 

2.  "Sie  kommt  zu  dem  weisen,  finstern  Mann" 

Der  Zauberer,  5  (VII,  51) 

3.  " .  .  .  .  Bei'm  Lampenlichte 

Sitzt  sie,  in  die  weisse  Hand  das  Kopfchen 
Stiitzend,  mit  noch  aufgeflochtnen  Zopfchen, 
Stillen  Schmerz  im  blassen  Angesichte." 

Liebeszauber,  25-8  (VI,  156) 

4.  "Und  das  Madchen,  das  ihn  streifte  mit  des  Flam- 

menauges  Stral" 

Die  Spanierin,  9-10  (VI,  176) 

5.  "in  den  blanken  Locken  scheint  das  Auge  fortzu- 

blitzen." 

Husaren-Werbung,  35-6  (VI,  191) 


47  The  poem  as  translated  employs  the  following  light  and 
color  terms :  Sonnenkind — in  Aug*  und  Busen  Feuer — bleich — 
ziindend — feurig — licht — purpurn  wallt — Strahl  der  Sonne — Licht- 
natur — lodern — in  Deiner  ....  gluhenden  Pracht — im  Brande 
vergehn — angefacht.  Hebbel  pronounces  the  description  of  the 
maiden  "glanzend  und  gluhend."  The  poem  is  quoted  later  in 
full  [p.  298]. 


94          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

6.  "  Ein  Todesschauer  bleichte  ihre  Wangen 

Und  fast  verglimmte  ihres  Auges  Stern." 

Ein  friihes  Liebesleben,  29-30  (VI,  199) 

7.  "  Die  Mutter  saugte  den  Knaben, 

Sie  neigte  sich  iiber  ihn, 
Dass  ihre  rosige  Wange 
Ein  Abglanz  der  seinigen  schien." 

Waldbilder,  9-12  (VI,  221) 

8.  "  Susser  Traume  lichte  Schatten 

Fliegen  iiber  sein  Gesicht" 

WaldbUder,  95-9  (VI,  221) 

9.  "  Ein  Jiingling,  f  risch  und  bluhend, 

Stand  da  im  Morgenlicht, 
Die  Augen  Flammen  spriihend 
Und  edel  das  Angesicht." 

[Emit.]   'Was  war  das  fur  ein  Traumen,"  5-8 
(VII,  162) 

10.  "  Im  Kreise  der  Vasallen  sitzt 

Der  Ritter,  Jung  und  kiihn ; 
Sein  dunkles  Feuerauge  blitzt 

"  Und  seine  Wangen  gliih'n." 

Schon  Hedwig,  1-5  (VI,  172) 

11.  "  Es  harrt  auf  weichem  Purpursammt 

Die  jiingste  Sclavin  ihres  Herrn, 
Und  unter  dunkler  Braue  flammt 
Ihr  Auge,  wie  ein  irrer  Stern." 

Die  Odaliske,  1-4  (VI,  187) 

12.  "  Es  stand  im  hellen  Mondenschein 

Die  zarte  Jungfrau,  schlank  und  fein, 
Die  Wangen  roth,  die  Auglein  klar 
Und  hell,  wie  Gold,  das  Ringelhaar." 

Rosa,  39-42  (VII,  28) 


COLORS  95 

13.  "  Mit  deinem  Auge,  deinem  seelenvollen, 

Schaust  du  mich  an,  als  war's  zum  letzten  Male ; 
Dann  seh'  ich  eine  dunkle  Thrane  rollen, 
Kaum    noch    durchblitzt    von    seinem    frommen 
Strale:" 

Stamen  auf  ein  Sicilianisches  Schwesterpaar,  1-4 
(VI,  215) 

14.  "  Unter'm  Baum  im  Sonnensstrale 

Liegt  ein  rothes,  trages  Kind." 

Unter'm  Baum,  1-2  (VI,  272) 

To  impute  any  considerable  influence  to  rhyme  in 
accounting  for  the  abundant  use  of  color  and  light  in 
the  figure  descriptions  would  be  unwarranted.  Rela- 
tively few  are  the  cases  in  which  rhyme  may  have  had 
at  best  even  a  possible  effect  upon  the  selection  of  attri- 
butes. One  needs  to  read  but  little  to  discover  Hebbel's 
unaffected  bias  for  luminous  elements  and  each  new 
instance  confirms  the  conviction  that  the  constant  re- 
course to  colors  as  a  medium  of  individualization  cannot 
be  attributed  to  the  exigencies  of  rhyme.  The  applica- 
tion of  colors  in  the  figure  descriptions  is  so  pronounced 
as  to  verge  on  ascription  to  color  of  some  manifestation 
of  the  human,  some  revelation  of  the  soul  life.  It  con- 
firms the  theory  that  Hebbel  actually  discerned  more 
than  mere  sensuous  properties  in  the  sights  and  sounds 
of  nature,  that  sensuous  stimuli  were  for  him  a  sacred 
medium,  through  which  Nature  enters  into  peculiar 
relations  with  her  anointed  prophets. 

Inanimate  Objects 

Hebbel  was  by  no  means  indifferent  to  the  color- 
objects  of  his  inanimate  environment.  As  he  generally 
views  these  objects  in  their  relations  with  persons,  he  is 


96          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

presumably  interested  primarily  in  these  personal  rela- 
tions rather  than  in  the  related  objects  themselves.  That 
such  objects  lack  interest  for  Hebbel  when  the  link 
between  them  and  human  life  is  absent  appears  from  his 
strong  dislike  for  the  displays  at  fairs,  industrial  ex- 
hibits and  the  like.  Thus  stripped  of  tender  human  asso- 
ciation, machinery,  furniture,  fabrics  seem  to  him  to 
have  smuggled  their  way  into  the  realm  of  the  beautiful. 
Some  sort  of  mute  personality,  born  of  service  during 
crises  or  impressive  epochs  of  experience,  must  remove 
from  things  their  mercenary  stigma  as  objects  of  pur- 
chase and  sale  before  they  can  attain  to  genuine  poetic 
status.48  We  should  naturally  expect  Hebbel  to  be  sen- 
sitive to  man's  objective  environment.  And  as  a  matter 
of  fact  he  has  a  place  in  his  poetry  for  the  common 
everyday  setting  that  so  often  is  the  index  of  life  and 
personality,  just  as  it  reacts  in  turn  upon  contiguous  life 
and  personality.  He  pays  many  a  passing  tribute  to 
man's  useful  or  ornamental  possessions,  his  implements 
of  toil,  everything  that  ministers  to  material  comfort, 
that  serves  to  adorn  the  person  or  the  home.49  And  he 
dwells  fervidly  upon  these  objects  when  they  are  en- 
deared to  us  by  ties  of  association  or  tradition,  so  that 
recollection  of  them  brings  with  it  a  sense  of  personal 
attachment. 

Impressive  again  is  the  frequency  with  which  Hebbel 
calls  up  such  objects  in  terms  of  colors.  In  many  cases 
the  color  naming  is  again  not  strange,  since  color  is  the 
conspicuous  quality  in  the  things  concerned.  But  the 
recurrency  itself  of  such  conspicuously  colored  objects 
in  Hebbel's  poetry  is  noteworthy.  Often  the  allusion  is 
merely  casual,  awaking  dim  sensuous  impressions,  or 

«Tgb.  II,  3166;  Tgb.  Ill,  3598. 

49  Cf.  Wiedersehen,  Is.  45  ff.  (VI,  109). 


COLORS  97 

none  at  all.  But  quite  as  often  the  reference  attains 
unusual  vividness  by  reason  of  a  suggestive  epithet  or 
of  more  deliberate  elaboration  of  details.  The  poet  often 
seems  to  linger  before  the  picture  created  by  his  fancy, 
as  though  he  would  prolong  the  pleasure  afforded  by  the 
sheen  of  the  nobler  metals,  or  the  prismatic  lustre  of 
precious  stones.50  Somewhat  less  numerous  but  hardly 
less  effectual  are  the  color  passages  descriptive  of  dress. 
There  is  repeated  reference  to  purple,  to  suggest  the 
traditional  garb  and  the  general  material  splendor  of 
royalty,  at  times  with  an  individual  touch  that  lifts  the 
device  above  hackneyed  convention.  Prominent  in  Heb- 
bel's  descriptions  of  dress  is  his  apparent  preference  for 
white,51  perhaps  because  of  that  color's  symbolic  ac- 
cordance with  certain  fundamental,  spiritual  qualities 
or  certain  impressive  modal  states — purity,  innocence, 
ominous  solemnity;  sometimes  because  of  some  ghastly 
quality  connecting  white  with  scenes  of  death  or  of 
kindred  character.52 


so  Spatziergang  in  Paris  46,  145,  147  (VI,  241);  Dem 
Schmerz  sein  Recht  121-2,  133  (VI,  287);  Prolog  zu  Goethes 
hundertjahriger  Geburtstagsfeier  84,  86-7  (VI,  298)  ;  An  eine 
Romerin  13  (VI,  308);  Vollendung  4  (VI,  311);  Der  Ring  27, 
92  (VI,  390)  ;  Verloren  und  Gefunden  9,  32  (VI,  424)  ;  Diocle- 
tian IS,  63-4  (VI,  429)  ;  Epilog  zum  Timon  von  Athen  7,  9, 
20-1  (VI,  432);  Wohin  so  flink,  du  junges  Kind?  31-3 
(VI,  441);  An  die  Tugend  65-9  (VII,  14);  Elegie  54  (VII, 
22)  ;  Des  Konigs  Jagd  6,  9,  13-5  (VII,  85) ;  Ritter  Fortunat 
7  (VII,  88)  ;  Hochzeit  14,  18-9  (VII,  128)  ;  Vater  und  Sohn  31, 
35  (VII,  152)  ;  Sangers  Sterne  36  (VII,  238) ;  Der  Taucher  2 
(VII,  240)  ;  Eine  moderne  Ballade  22,  25,  44,  61,  65  (VII,  188)  ; 
Drei  Schicksale  5,  11  (VII,  198). 

51  Die  heilige  Drei  36  (VI,  181)  ;  Das  Venerabile  in  der 
Nacht  11  (VI,  286)  ;  Meiner  Tochter  Christine  in's  Gebetbuch 
1  (VI,  423);  Wohin  so  flink,  du  junges  Kind?  25  (VI,  441); 
Rosa  14  (VII,  28)  ;  Das  Wiedersehen  70  (VII,  109). 

52Hebbel  notes  in  Tgb.  I,  398,  from  Trewlaney's  Aben- 
theuer  in  Ostindien :  "Die  Araber  trauern  in  Weiss" ;  cf .  Tgb. 
I,  1361 :"....  Man  f riert,  wenn  man  eine  weisse  Masse  sieht, 
man  schauert  vor  einer  weissen  Gestalt;  der  Schnee  ist  weiss, 


98          STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

In  such  an  habitual  use  of  color  as  that  set  forth  above 
it  is  obvious  that  we  have  not  to  deal  with  an  isolated 
hue  here  and  there  or  an  occasional  light  now  and  then. 
The  poet  rather  introduced  his  colors  in  groups  or 
clusters : 

"  Sie  tragt  nicht  immerdar  das  f  reud'ge  Roth, 
Wenn  sie  sich  los't  aus  ihrer  Knospe  Grim, 
Doch,  ob  sie  auch  so  bleich  ist,  wie  der  Tod, 
Ihr  Kelch  bewahrt  ein  letztes  stilles  Gliih'n." 

Meiner  Tochter  Christine,  etc.,  13-6  (VI,  423) 

"  Dort  ihr  Gewiihl !    Jedwedes  Angesicht 
Ein  Sonnen-Abdruck,  dunkel  oder  licht, 
Wie  sie  die  Zone  farbte,  schwarz  geraucht, 
Und  wie  von  Flammen  rothlich  angehaucht," 

Diocletian,  43-6  (VI,  429) 

Often  we  look  in  vain  for  evidence  of  conscious  selec- 
tion and  design.  The  color  groups  exhibit  the  same 
freedom  as  obtains  in  nature.  Then  again  the  hues  and 
lights  appear  to  be  chosen  and  arranged  in  accordance 
with  some  more  apparent  harmony  in  them,  as  when, 
for  instance,  some  emotion  to  be  expressed  suggests  a 
series  of  compatible  colors. 

But  where  passion  for  color  is  so  instinctive  and  ele- 
mental there  must  come  moods  when  habitual  repression 
gives  way  to  momentary  abandon,  when  the  imagination, 
relieved  of  restraint,  seems  endowed  with  conscious  ex- 
hilaration in  its  own  exercise  and  exults  in  unstinted  sur- 
render to  the  impressions  of  sense.  And  so  we  have 
occasional  passages  where  the  lights  seem  to  move  in 
ever-widening  circles,  where  each  color  wave,  as  from 


Gespenster  denkt  man  sich  weiss "    Cf .  also  Tgb.  I,  1555 : 

"Ein  Lichtschein  beleuchtet  plotzlich  eine  weisse  Wand  und  eine 
Stimme  ruft  aus:  lies!  .  .  .  .  Es  steht  doch  Deine  ganze 
Zukunft  dort  geschrieben." 


COLORS  99 

some  central  stimulus,  stirs  the  next,  and  the  luminous 
impact  moves  in  unbroken  progression  until  all  is  aflame 
with  rippling  lustre: 

"  Ich  schaute  dir  in's  Auge  schnell, 

Du  blicktest  gar  zu  mild, 
Und  lieblich  sah  ich,  klar  und  hell, 
Darin  mein  eig'nes  Bild. 

In  eine  wunderbare  Flut 

Von  Farben  war's  getaucht, 
Von  Licht  und  Glanz  die  Zauberglut 

Dariiber  hingehaucht. 

Da  wurde  dir  das  Auge  feucht, 

Und  perlenklar  und  rein 
Trat  eine  Thrane,  schnell  erzeugt, 

Licht  in  das  Licht  hinein,"  etc. 

T'dndelei,  1-12  (VI,  211) 

"  Und  sieh :  des  Aethers  reinste  Tropf en  fallen, 
Der  Sonne  hellste  Stralen  schimmern  d'rein, 
Und,  wie  sie  blitzend  durch  einander  wallen 

So  fangen  sie  den  holden  Widerschein. 
Er  selber  aber  halt  sie  nun  zusammen, 

Und  ein  krystall'ner  Spiegel  bildet  sich 
Aus  gliih'nden  Perlen  und  aus  feuchten  Flammen, 
In  dem  auch  keine  Linie  erblich." 

Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna,  9-16  (VI,  283) 

In  such  passages  as  the  above,  color  love  soars  into  color 
rhapsody,  into  unchecked  reveling  in  the  optical  wonders 
of  nature.  And  yet  with  all  the  opulence  there  is  nothing 
tawdry  or  inappropriate.  The  gayety  and  iridescence  in 
the  passage  from  T'dndelei,  for  example,  are  suggestive 
of  the  mood  portrayed.  Even  in  these  comparatively 
bold  flights  Hebbel's  color  sense  does  not  forsake  him; 
consciously  or  instinctively  he  regards  the  relationships, 
the  congeniality,  the  suitableness  of  his  qualities  one  to 


100        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

another,  and  he  so  blends  and  modulates  his  impressions 
as  to  secure  an  effect  at  once  intense  and  pure. 

In  the  foregoing  passages,  the  link  of  association 
(where  nature  has  not  preceded  the  poet  in  combining 
the  hues  and  lights)  is  not  always  perfectly  apparent, 
although  the  results  evince  an  appreciation  of  inherent 
congruities.  In  the  color  groups  that  follow  there  ap- 
pears to  be  more  deliberate  method.  Occasionally  there 
underlies  the  selection  of  colors  an  idea  of  formal  con- 
trast. We  note : 

(a)  In  the  more  simple  groupings,  two  contrasted 
lights  or  colors:  a  pale  light  contrasted  with  a  bright 
light ;  darkness  with  brightness ;  white  with  black ;  white 
with  red ;  black  with  red ;  more  rarely,  red  with  green : 

"  — Das  Dunkel  wird  zur  f  reud'gen  Helle," 

An  die  Unterdruckten,  25  (VII,  12) 

"  Der  finstern  That  f  ehlt  dann  der  lichte  Schein," 

An  die  Unterdruckten,  30. 

"  Wolken  diisterten  den  Schein  des  Mondes,"  etc. 

Rosa,  9-10  (VII,  28) 

"  Was  wankst  Du  noch  im  Dunkeln,  Du  Bleicher,"  etc. 

Er  und  ich,  1-2  (VII,  24) 

"  Pfliicke  nicht  die  schwarzen  Rosen 
Die  um  jeden  Stamm  sich  ranken, 
Wenn  sie  auch  noch  heiss're  Diifte, 
Als  die  rothen,  in  sich  tranken!" 

Der  Zauberhain,  9-12  (VI,  387) 

"  Auf  der  Nachte  Dunkel  f  olgt  das  Morgenroth," 

Der  Quell,  53-4  (VII,  16) 

"  Die  menschliche  Blume  ist  rosenroth,  .... 
Tragt  die  Blume  der  Geister  ein  weisses  Kleid" 

Lied  der  Geister,  13-5  (VII,  63) 


COLORS  101 

"  Da  springt  aus  dem  Mund  ihr  das  Blut  so  roth, 
Und  sie  sinkt  zur  Erde,  ist  bleich  und  todt." 

Der  Tans,  25-6  (VII,  72) 

"  Ich  ritt  durch  Waldes-Dunkel  .... 
Glutrothe  Wolken  rollten" 

Stillstes  Leben,  6-8  (VII,  140) 
"  Mein  Knablein,  bis  an's  Ende  roth  und  munter, 

Da  zieht  ihn  schnell  der  dunkle  Arm  herunter," 

Kinderloos,  25-7  (VII,  163) 

"  Die  Nacht  ist  so  duster,  sie  scheint  ein  Sarg, 
Worin  der  glanzende  Tag  sich  verbarg," 

Die  Kindesmorderin,  1-2  (VII,  68) 

"  Unter  griinen  Myrthen,  rothen  Rosen 
Bliiht  dort  ein  Vergissmeinnicht,"  etc. 

An  Laura,  9-10  (VII,  50) 

"  Von  der  Liebe  Rosenroth  umgeben, 
Von  der  Freundschaft  weichem  Myrthengriin ;" 

An  Laura,  19-20  (VII,  50) 

"  Dann  schwimmet  der  Meergeist  auf  blaulicher  Flut, 
Der  Feuergeist  reitet  auf  rothlicher  Glut," 

Lied  der  Geister,  5-6  (VII,  63) 

(b)  More  elaborate  and  complex  are  the  groups  of 
contrasted  colors  where  there  are  two  elements  in  one 
or  both  of  the  contrasted  members ;  or  where  a  compari- 
son is  instituted  between  two  sets  of  contrasted  colors. 
In  general  the  contrasted  elements  are  the  same  as  in  the 
simpler  examples,  namely,  light-darkness;  white-black; 
white-red;  black-red;  etc.: 

"  Und  ob  nachtlich'  Gewolke  den  Tag  verhullt — 
Sie  zeigt  auf  die  stralende  Sonne. 
Sie  zeigt  seinem  Blicke  die  Dammerung," 

Erinnerung,  15-7  (VII,  12) 


102        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

"  Die  Wange,  jetzt  bleich,  wie  der  Tod — 
Einst  sahst  du  wohl  herrlich  sie  gliihen, 
Wie  Morgenroths  Purpur,  so  roth." 

Rosa,  26-8  (VII,  28) 

"  Der  Mond  schien  aus  diistrer  Feme 
Blutroth  auf  den  nachtlichen  Wald ; 
Bleich  huschten  am  Himmel  die  Sterne," 

Rosa,  129-131  (VII,  28) 

"  Da  ward  des  Himmels  Erdengrau 
Hell,  silberhell,  und  dunkelblau, 
Der  Mond  schien  wieder  licht  und  rein, 
Klar  funkelten  die  Sternelein." 

Rosa,  161-4  (VII,  28) 

"  Wie  der  Sterne  Goldgefunkel 
Durch  die  schwarze  Hiille  bricht, 
Also  blitzt  durch's  Lebensdunkel 
Edler  Thaten  Zauberlicht." 

An  die  Tugend,  69-72  (VII,  14) 

"  Er  malte  ihrer  Wangen  Roth, 
Des  Auges  Glanz  zugleich, 
Da  ward  ihr  Auge  blind  und  todt 
Und  ihre  Wange  bleich." 

Der  Maler,  9-12  (VI,  175) 

"  Triibes  Licht  von  triiber  Kerze, 
Linnen  rings,  das  weisse,  bleiche, 
In  der  Mitt'  ein  dunkler  Sarg, 
Und  das  Madchen  d'rin  als  Leiche !" 

Das  Wiedersehen,  69-71  (VII,  109) 

"  Von  dunkelnden  Wogen 
Hinunter  gezogen, 
Zwei  schimmernde  Schwane,  sie  schiffen  daher, 

Die  Nebel,  sie  senken  sich  finster  und  schwer." 

Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder,  1-6  (VI,  212) 


COLORS  103 

(c)  In  the  following  color  groups,  whether  con- 
sciously, or  blindly  following  an  artistic  instinct,  Hebbel 
succeeds  in  getting  an  "accord  of  contraries,"  a  softened 
or  subdued  contrast  of  opposite  colors,  which  produces 
the  effect  of  harmony : 

"  Stiirmisch  ist  die  Nacht  und  dunkel ; 
Driiben  blauen  Lichts  Gefunkel !" 

Das  traurige  Licht,  1-2  (VII,  181) 

"  Eine  Glocke  sah  ich  spriessen,  .... 
Blau,  aus  schwarzem  Erdenschooss." 

Parodie,  1-5  (VII,  194) 

"  Du  f  unkelst  rein  und  spiegelblank 
Im  Morgenstral  der  rothen  Sonne." 

Auf  ein  nev.es  Trinkglas,  1-2  (VII,  118) 

The  subjective  quality  of  Hebbel's  poems,  already 
briefly  alluded  to,  must  again  be  emphasized.  This  quality 
imparts  to  his  colors  a  charm  far  more  subtle  than  sensu- 
ous beauty  or  aesthetic  congruence.  Hebbel  has  done 
more  than  merely  borrow  Nature's  materials  to  make  a 
refined  copy  of  her.  Though  the  lights  and  colors  that 
give  life  to  the  lyrics  be  the  same  with  those  in  the  skies 
above  and  on  the  earth  about  us,  they  partake  of  a 
strange  quality  and  power  from  their  refraction  of  the 
poet's  personality.  This  soul-toning  lends  to  the  lights 
a  mystic  beauty  distinct  from  that  of  sense.  As  has  been 
pointed  out,  such  emotionalizing  of  nature  was  not  in 
Hebbel's  conception  the  investiture  of  something  in  it- 
self dead  with  the  outward  shows  of  life.  The  profound 
poet  does  not  project  self  into  nature,  he  extracts  self 
out  of  nature,  and  in  so  doing  evokes  that  higher  nature 
of  which  man  and  his  physical  environment  form  con- 
stituent parts.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  man  in  the  cosmic 
process  is  entindividualisiert,  "unselved"  or  "trans- 


104       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

selved,"  destroyed  in  his  isolation  by  union  with  nature 
in  a  higher  "ideal"  sphere,  just  as  the  material  on  its 
part  is  destroyed,  "dematerialized,"  through  union  with 
man  in  the  higher  existence  of  the  Weltidee.  This  union 
of  Nature's  soul — that  other  self — with  the  soul  in  Man, 
involving  the  death  of  each  mortal  Part  in  the  immortal 
life  of  the  All,  Hebbel  has  imaged  for  us  in  numerous 
passages.  These  clearly  show  that  the  life  in  outward 
things  was  as  little  a  poetic  fiction  with  Hebbel  as  it  was 
with  Wordsworth.  The  world  becomes  a  torch  to  illu- 
minate his  own  inner  being.  The  things  of  sense  aug- 
ment his  conception  of  cosmic  Ideality.  To  his  poetic 
imagination  the  lights  and  colors  and  sounds  are  corre- 
lates of  certain  spiritual  powers  of  man,  and  enter  at 
moments  of  inspired  contemplation  into  mystic  union 
with  the  soul: 

"  Da  ward  in  mir  das  Innerste  gelos't, 
Des  Wesens  Kern  und  Wurzel,  wie  entblosst, 
Und  was  in  mir  nicht  leuchtet  und  nicht  klingt, 
Weil  es  in  and'rer  Form  zurri  Dasein  dringt, 
Das  leuchtete  und  klang,  es  rann  in  Eins 
Mit  Stral  und  Ton  zur  Fiille  neuen  Seins." 

Spatziergang  in  Paris,  13-8  (VI,  241) 

"  Nun  versagen  sie  (i.e.  die  Cotter)  Nichts, 
Als  den  letzten  der  Sterne, 
Der  dich  in  dammernder  Feme 
Kniipft  an  den  Urquell  des  Lichts. 

Ihm  entlocke  den  Blitz, 
Der  dich,  dein  Ird'sches  verzehrend, 
Und  dich  mit  Feuer  verklarend, 
Los't  f iir  den  ewigen  Sitz !" 

Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht,  174-81  (VI,  287) 

Thus  the  splendors  of  sunset,  of  starlight  and  of  rose 
are  not  merely  delights  for  the  eye.    They  are  the  Ian- 


COLORS  105 

guage  of  that  other  Self,  the  symbols  of  the  World- 
Concept's  gradual  revelation.  And  as  the  transcendent 
personality  of  material  nature  speaks  in  its  tints  and 
tones,  so  the  poet's  cosmic  self  is  revealed  in  intuitive 
flashes  linked  with  the  world  of  sense.  Through  such 
common  symbols,  found  in  the  outer  world,  found  within 
himself  no  less,  the  poet  divines  the  meaning  of  earth's 
partial  lights,  divines  their  kinship  with  the  all-embracing 
Geistersonne  whence  they  came  and  whither  they  must 
again  return.  We  can  well  understand  the  feeling  of 
mingled  awe  and  delight  with  which  the  consciousness  of 
this  cosmic  fellowship  filled  the  poet,  and  we  do  not 
wonder  that  a  certain  sanctity  enveloped  the  symbols  of 
this  communion: 

"  In  unermesslich  tiefen  Stunden, 
Hast  du,  in  ahnungsvollem  Schmerz, 
Den  Geist  des  Weltalls  nie  empfunden, 
Der  niederflammte  in  dein  Herz  ? 

Da  thust  du  in  die  dunkeln  Risse 
Des  Unerforschten  einen  Blick 
Und  nimmst  in  deine  Finsternisse 
Ein  leuchtend  Bild  der  Welt  zuruck ;" 

Erleuchtung,  1-4;  9-12  (VI,  255) 

"  So  dass  die  Welt,  trotz  ihrer  finstern  Spuren, 
Ihm  Fackel  war,  sein  Inn'res  aufzuhellen," 

Das  abgeschiedene  Kind,  etc.,  108-9  (VI,  294) 

"  Nur  fiirchte  ich,  dass,  wie  ich  selbst  Gedanken, 
Die  gleich  Kometen  blitzten,  schon  erstickte, 
Eh'  ich  verging  in  ihrem  gliih'nden  Lichte," 

Mysterium,  9-12  (VI,  322) 

".  .  .  .  Himmelswonne 
Giesst  allmachtig  sich  dem  Herzen  ein 
Aus  dem  Lichtmeer  jener  Geistersonne,"  etc. 

Fragment e,  No.  4,  1-3  (VII,  39) 


106        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

But  the  Poet  is  not  in  all  his  moods  mindful  of  his 
high  dignity  as  Prophet  of  the  Weltidee,  he  is  not  always 
administering  the  sacred  rites;  often  his  instruments 
must  fill  a  humbler  secular  office.  With  keen  apprecia- 
tion of  the  effect  of  color  upon  mental  states,  Hebbel 
frequently  resorts  to  this  medium — as  we  have  shown 
in  the  personal  descriptions — for  the  purpose  of  accent- 
uating the  dominant  mood  of  a  character  or  situation, 
and  of  superinducing  a  sympathetic  mental  attitude  on 
the  part  of  the  reader.  Here  we  seem  to  have  evidence 
of  a  dramatic  sense,  keenly  alive  to  the  dynamic  relation 
of  landscape  to  figures,  and  conscious  of  the  appropriate- 
ness of  certain  external  conditions  to  certain  internal 
states.  It  is  in  the  ballads  and  romances  that  this  ten- 
dency is  best  illustrated,  in  the  poems  in  which  narrative 
constitutes  an  important  factor.  In  the  opening  lines 
colors  frequently  dominate,  and  the  initial  light  is  made 
to  throw  its  beams  upon  all  that  follows: 

"  Es  sitzt  ein  Vater  beim  Mondenschein 
Mit  seinen  Kindern  im  Kammerlein, 
Er  schleift  ein  rostiges  Messer 
Und  wird  dabei  blasser  und  blasser." 

Der  Ring,  1-4  (VI,  390) 

"  Schwiil  wird  diese  Nacht.    Am  Himmelsbogen 
Zieh'n  die  Wolken  dichter  sich  zusammen, 
Breit  beglanzt  von  Wetterleuchtens  Flammen 
Und  von  rothen  Blitzen  scharf  durchzogen." 

Liebeszauber,  1-4  (VI,  156) 

"  's  ist  Mitternacht ! 
Der  eine  schlaft,  der  And're  wacht. 
Er  schaut  bei'm  blauen  Mondenlicht 
Dem  Schlafer  still  in's  Angesicht;"  etc. 

's  ist  Mitternacht,  1-4  (VI,  174) 


COLORS  107 

It  is  in  the  employment  of  lights  and  colors  as  features 
in  dramatic  setting  that  we  observe  the  most  marked  dif- 
ference between  Hebbel's  earlier  and  later  style.  If 
emotional  suggestion  through  color  symbols  is  a  con- 
cededly  legitimate  device,  it  is  a  device  that  may  not  be 
abused  with  impunity.  The  whole  effect  may  be  vitiated 
by  too  apparent  contrivance.  And  of  such  contrivance 
Hebbel  is  guilty  in  a  few  of  his  early  poems.  Take  his 
Rosa  as  an  example : 

1. 1         "  Der  Tag  war  hin,  die  Nacht  brach  an, 
Der  Mond  begann  die  bleiche  Bahn, 
Die  Sterne  hellten  silberrein 
Das  dunkle  Blau  mit  lichtem  Schein. 

Da  eilt  ein  Wanderer  voriiber 
Am  mitternachtlichen  Wald, 
Der  Himmel  wird  triiber  und  triiber, 
Der  Wind  weht  schaurig  und  kalt. 

Und  Wolken  diisterten  den  Schein 
Des  Mondes  und  der  Sternelein, 
Und  sieh,  des  Himmels  Dunkelblau 
Wird  nachtlich  schwarz  und  erdengrau. 

1. 17         Einst  war's  ein  Madchen,  wunderschon, 
Wie  junge  Rosen  anzuseh'n, 
Wie  junge  Rosen,  voll  von  Thau, 
Hellprangend  auf  der  Morgenau; 
Jetzt  war's  ein  Schatten,  irr  und  bleich, 
Wie  einsten  in  der  Geister  Reich, 
Die  Augen  todt,  die  Stimme  hohl, 
Die  einst  so  lieblich  klang  und  voll. 

'  O,  musst  mir  so  schnell  nicht  entfliehen — 
Die  Wange,  jetzt  bleich,  wie  der  Tod — 
Einst  sahst  du  wohl  herrlich  sie  gluhen, 
Wie  Morgenroths  Purpur,  so  roth.' 


108        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

1. 153        '  O  sanfte  Schwester,  rosenroth, 

Dich  knickte  nicht  der  bleiche  Tod ; 
Der  Satan  trank  des  Leibes  Blut, 
Dein  Geist  ist  kinderrein  und  gut — ' 

1. 159        Und  als  sie  nun  hinaufgeschwebt 
In's  Friedensreich,  wo  Rosa  lebt, 
Da  ward  des  Himmels  Erdengrau 
Hell,  silberhell,  und  dunkelblau, 
Der  Mond  schien  wieder  licht  und  rein, 
Klar  funkelten  die  Sternelein." 

Rosa,  Is.  1-12;  17-28;  153-6;  159-64  (VII,  28) 

Here  we  have  color,  floods  of  it,  turned  on  like  limelights 
on  the  stage.  Every  mood  has  its  accompanying  light, 
each  movement  is  appropriately  illuminated ;  and  the  lime- 
light illumination,  the  shifting  of  shade  for  each  new 
pose  is  managed  with  a  regularity  so  excessive  as  to  con- 
vey the  impression  of  mechanical  mannerism.  Capital 
though  these  descriptions  may  be  when  taken  singly, 
collectively  they  have  an  unnatural,  an  over-studied 
effect;  such  slavish  adjustment  of  lights  to  situations  is 
offensively  spectacular. 

And  yet  these  early  blemishes,  typified  by  the  descrip- 
tions in  Rosa,  are  insignificant  enough.  They  certainly 
would  not  suffice  to  prove  conventionality  in  Hebbel's 
colors — even  if  we  lacked  better  evidence  of  the  con- 
trary— on  the  theory  that  young  writers  affect  what  most 
impresses  them  in  others.  The  lavish  lights  in  Rosa  are 
less  the  insincerity  of  the  imitator  than  the  indiscretion, 
the  insecurity  of  the  novice.  They  illustrate  the  prodi- 
gality that  characterizes  apprenticeship.  As  Hebbel  de- 
velops, we  note  the  increased  tact,  deftness  and  frugality 
that  mark  growing  mastery: 


COLORS  109 

"  Ich  bin  in  der  Nacht  gegangen ; 
Wie  dunkel  und  wie  still ! 
Kein  Hauch  in  den  schweren  Liif ten, 
Kein  Stern,  der  leuchten  will! 

Vom  Felsenhang  herunter 
Neigt  sich  ein  einsam  Haus, 
Es  fiel  aus  dem  schmalen  Fenster 
Ein  zitternd  Licht  heraus. 

Der  Pfad  fiihrt  hart  voriiber, 
Da  lauscht'  ich  denn  hinein ; 
Ich  sah  einen  Todten  liegen, 
Vom  Leichlicht  kam  der  Schein." 

Licht  in  der  Nacht  (VII,  146)  1836 

The  offensive  largess  of  Rosa  yields  here  to  wiser  hus- 
banding of  the  technical  effects,  the  illuminations  are  now 
not  so  raw,  so  crass.  And  though  even  here  there  may 
be  a  suggestion  of  the  spectacular,  yet  the  colors  are 
made  to  tell,  they  help  to  superinduce  an  atmosphere 
of  anxiety.  Conversely,  in  Liebeszauber,53  after  the 
breathless  tension  inaugurated  by  the  initial  colors  and 
maintained  by  the  dramatic  movement  of  the  recital, 
there  is  afforded  at  the  close  a  mental  relief,  a  conscious 
relaxation  into  full  and  free  respiration,  through  sugges- 
tion of  the  sudden  shower  that  dispels  the  heat,  and 
through  allusion  to  cool,  rain- freshened  odors.  In  the 
ballad  Schon  Hedwig,  written  in  1838,  the  poet  resorts 
to  the  same  device  for  dramatic  effect,  but  he  avoids  the 
mechanical  contrivance  so  noticeable  in  Rosa.  The 
handling  of  the  materials  now  shows  progress  toward 
the  quality  exactly  defined  by  Pater's  terms  "composi- 
tion" as  contrasted  with  "loose  accretion."  The  light 
upon  the  maiden's  brow  is  both  physically  and  psychi- 
cally congruous,  it  is  consonant  with  her  character  and 


53  Liebeszauber,  Is.  1-8;  105-15  (VI,  156). 


110        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

with  the  emotional  situation  supposed.54  Again  in  Lustig 
tritt  ein  schoner  Knabe — like  Schon  Hedwig  a  poem  in 
ballad  form — we  have  the  same  playing  of  the  lights  at 
the  critical  moment.  But  here,  as  in  Schon  Hedwig,  the 
device  is  effective  because  natural.  There  is  no  impres- 
sion here  of  surplusage,  no  feeling  that  the  attendant 
circumstance  has  been  mechanically  fashioned.  The 
simple  maiden  entering  the  youth's  chamber  in  half- 
hearted coyness  at  the  dead  of  night  is  very  fittingly 
represented  as  bathed  in  the  radiance  of  the  inflooding 
moonlight.  This  circumstance  is  a  perfectly  plausible 
part  of  the  scene,  considered  purely  physically;  consid- 
ered spiritually,  it  is  equally  appropriate,  for  it  stands 
in  symbolic  relations  with  the  maiden's  innocence,  just 
as  her  passion  finds  a  beautiful  symbol  in  the  glowing 
wine  held  in  her  pale  hands.  The  colors  here  are  struc- 
turally realistic,  fusing  organically  with  action  and  feel- 
ing, not  floating  in  streaks  upon  the  surface : 

"  Hell  beleuchtet,  bis  zum  Blenden, 
Steht  sie  da  im  Mondenstral, 
Und  in  ihrer  weissen  Handen 
Blinkt  der  Wein  zum  dritten  Mai." 
Lustig  tritt  ein  schoner  Knabe,  45-8  (VI,  437) 

Our  investigation  has  aimed  to  show,  first,  Hebbel's 
extraordinary  and  sustained  susceptibility  to  colors; 
then — as  the  vital  core  of  the  whole  matter — the  spir- 
itual significance  that  these  elements  assume  under  the 
influence  of  his  prophetic  intuition,  and  lastly,  the  early 
attained  mastery  of  the  technical  resources  of  color. 

84         "  Ein  zartes  Magdlein  tritt  heran 
Und  fiillt  ihm  den  Pocal. 
Zuriick  mit  Lacheln  tritt  sie  dann, 
Da  fallt  auf  ihre  Stirne 
Der  klarste  Morgenstral." 

Schon  Hedwig,  6-10  (VI,  172) 


COLORS  111 

Incidentally,  the  theory  of  conventionality  in  Hebbel's 
colors  has  been  made  to  appear  at  least  improbable.  The 
desired  object  has  been  attained  if  the  discussion  has 
demonstrated  that  Hebbel's  lyrics  display  a  highly  indi- 
vidual sense  of  nature's  hues  and  intuitive  aptness  in 
their  application.  Both  features  are  of  prime  importance 
in  determining  Hebbel's  rank  as  a  poetic  artist.  And 
certainly  on  the  score  of  apt  employment  Hebbel's  colors 
seem  to  possess  distinction.  If  he  was  a  lover  of  color 
from  the  beginning,  he  early  outgrew  servile  worship  and 
mad  devotion.  Reckless  abandon,  infrequent  even  in  his 
more  impassioned  flights,  is  almost  unknown  in  passages 
that  give  evidence  of  more  mature  poise.  Hebbel  does 
not  choose  his  colors  wantonly,  as  though  to  defy  nature 
or  to  envelop  the  image  in  a  bewildering  haze.  Such  was 
the  method  of  Romanticists  like  Tieck ;  and  the  modern 
Symbolists  in  their  disregard  of  the  natural  limitations 
of  the  several  senses  appear  to  be  playing  with  similar 
effects.  Confusing  refinements  of  hues  and  tints,  such 
as  mar  Shelley's  imagery  at  times,  are  rare  in  Hebbel's 
early  verse,  whereas  his  later  art  brings  an  ennobled 
poetic  message  in  language  purged  by  ceaseless  self- 
culture  of  the  grosser  defects  of  youth. 

In  conclusion  we  submit  a  detailed  survey  of  Hebbel's 
color  terms,  citing  under  the  headings  of  the  various 
colors  a  few  typical  examples  of  their  use.  The  survey 
is  supplemented  by  several  tables  showing  succinctly  the 
variety  and  frequency  of  the  color  terms  employed.55 


55  As  basis  for  the  following  tabulations  use  was  made  of 
Hebbel's  poems  as  contained  in  Werner's  edition,  vols.  VI  (omit- 
ting pages  326  to  378,  and  page  383)  and  VII.  The  omitted  por- 
tions include  under  the  general  heading  of  Epigramme  und 
Verwandtes  eight  groups  of  miscellaneous  matter  designated  as 
follows:  Bilder;  Gnomen;  Kunst;  Geschichte;  Ethisches;  Per- 
sonliches;  Buntes;  Spriiche. 


112        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

In  tabulating  the  instances  in  this  survey,  the  attempt 
is  made  to  record  how  often  the  several  terms  of  color 
and  light  convey  a  distinct  impression  of  sensuous  reality. 
This  is  done  for  the  purpose  of  determining  as  far  as 
possible  the  extent  to  which  Hebbel's  colors  involve 
actual  bodily  stimulation  on  the  poet's  part  and  commen- 
surate response  on  the  part  of  the  reader.  Every  occur- 
rence of  a  sensuous  term  in  human  speech  obviously  does 
not  represent  pronounced  sensation,  and  so  every  color 
symbol  in  poetry  cannot  be  taken  at  full  face  value.56 
For  one  may  conceivably  use  or  meet  expressions  such 
as  golden  youth,  dazzling  beauty,  brilliant  career,  dark 
despair  without  experiencing  any  noteworthy  sensory 
thrill.  Moreover,  there  can  hardly  be  any  test  of  sensu- 
ousness  in  poetic  diction  that  will  decide  specific  cases 
infallibly.  Poets  and  readers  differ  so  materially  in  their 
mental  habits  that  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  decide 
absolutely  whether  a  given  sensuous  term  involves  posi- 
tive physical  stimulation  or  not.  What  we  have  is  often 
nothing  more  than  a  conventional  metaphor,  a  mere 
matter  of  rhetorical  composition.  A  term  of  sense  is 
transferred  from  its  native  soil  to  some  mental  element 
with  which  it  has  a  real  or  imaginary  affinity,  and  the 
sensory  organism  may  not  participate  in  this  transfer- 
ence at  all.  Nevertheless  the  temptation  to  subject  Heb- 
bel's lyric  diction  to  just  such  a  test  is  irresistible.  The 
astonishing  frequency  of  sensuous  terms  in  his  songs 
together  with  his  preoccupation  with  the  spiritual  aspects 
of  life  make  the  problem  in  his  case  one  of  peculiar  diffi- 
culty. In  his  early  poems  particularly,  which  are  char- 
acterized by  a  marked  tendency  to  reflection,  there  is 


56  Cf.  Stumpf's  discussion  of  the  sensory  element  involved 
in  metaphor  (Tonpsychologie,  I,  pp.  199  ff.).  See  also  Albert 
Malto  Wanner,  Das  Drama  Friedrich  Hebbels,  Hamburg  und 
Leipzig,  1911,  pp.  446-68,  Die  Bildlichkeit. 


COLORS  113 

often  no  trustworthy  test.  When  he  echoes  Schiller's 
sentiments  on  friendship  or  love  or  longing,  for  example, 
who  shall  say  whether  his  colors  and  lights  reflect  a 
response  to  physical  stimulus?  Conceivably  the  physical 
properties  connoted  by  these  sensuous  symbols  may  give 
way  to  the  abstract  idea  implied,  and  the  terms  thus  fade 
into  colorless  rhetorical  media. 

We  are  justified  in  bringing  to  our  problem  such  defi- 
nite knowledge  as  we  possess  of  the  poet's  temperament 
and  mental  habits.  We  have  a  right  to  bear  in  mind 
while  testing  his  sensuous  terms  that  he  was  actually 
known  to  respond  to  impressions  of  color  with  the  keen 
relish  of  a  sensitive  child.  We  may  be  safely  guided  in 
our  classification  by  the  knowledge  that  profound  truths 
often  burst  through  the  darkness  of  his  reflections  with 
a  splendor  as  real  as  the  gleam  of  stars  or  the  flash  of 
lightning.  And  we  may  derive  legitimate  aid  in  our 
judgments  from  the  fact  that  he  communicated  such 
luminous  experiences  to  intimate  associates  in  an  im- 
passioned manner,  with  throbbing  pulse  and  with  eyes 
and  cheeks  aglow.  In  his  songs,  therefore,  we  may 
safely  attach  actual  physical  excitation  to  many  extended 
passages  where  spiritual  struggles,  whether  of  passion 
or  of  truth,  are  expressed  in  terms  of  sense.  His  theme 
may  be  love  in  the  abstract,  not  a  distinct  loved  one; 
and  yet  the  language  of  his  song  may  abound  in  terms 
that  record  and  convey  concrete  feelings: 

"  O  Blitz,  der  aus  dem  Tiefsten  springt 
Und  mir  durch  jede  Faser  zuckt, 
Der  mich  mit  neuer  Glut  durchdringt, 
Die  sonst  mein  Inn'res  still  verschluckt ;"  etc. 

Neue  Liebe,  1-4  (VI,  212) 

Or  again,  the  theme  may  be  the  brilliant  talent  of  an 
admired  artist.  From  one  point  of  view  this  is  a  con- 


114       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

crete  theme,  for  the  inspiration  comes  from  a  distinct 
revelation  of  art  on  the  part  of  a  specific  personality. 
And  yet  it  is  brilliant  artistry  in  general  that  Hebbel 
celebrates  in  Auf  die  Deutsche  Kiinstlerin.  His  manner 
of  doing  it,  however,  is  such  that  concrete  sensations 
prevail  over  abstract  reflections.  The  realism  of  Hebbel's 
sensuous  imagery,  the  reality  of  the  experiences  that 
they  express  are  unmistakable  in  extended  metaphorical 
passages  such  as  the  one  in  this  poem : 

"  Ich  will  den  Funken  aus  den  Hoh'n, 
Der  sanft  der  Seele  sich  verbiindet 
Und  langsam  wachsend,  immer  schon, 
Zuletzt  zur  Flamme  sich  entziindet :"  etc. 

Auf  die  Deutsche  Kunstlerin,  5-8  (VI,  282) 
Cf.  p.  74  above. 

Nevertheless  the  test  and  the  resultant  classification  be- 
come especially  difficult  in  such  cases  of  extended  meta- 
phor. For  here  the  figurative  symbol  is  often  elaborated 
by  the  introduction  of  concrete  attributes  for  which  there 
may  be  only  remote  correlates  in  the  symbolized  abstrac- 
tion. Thus  it  frequently  happens  in  Hebbel's  songs  that 
a  given  term  seems  to  convey  vivid  sensuous  impression, 
while  it  plainly  forms  part  of  a  complex  metaphor, 
significant  of  an  essentially  abstract  thought.  In  many 
cases  the  predominance  of  the  one  or  the  other  quality 
must  determine  as  to  which  of  the  two  categories  the 
terms  in  question  belong.  But  although  we  bring  candor 
and  care  to  the  task,  the  final  decision  in  many  instances 
is  bound  to  be  arbitrary. 

A  good  example  of  the  abstract  raised  through  vivid 
imagery  into  the  concrete  and  sensuous  is  afforded  by 
the  poem  Der  Quell  (VII,  16),  with  its  extended  meta- 
phor of  the  brook  or  spring,  which  forms  the  theme  of 
lines  13  to  32: 


COLORS  115 

"Audi  durch's  Erdgefilde 
Rinnt  ein  Himmelsquell, 
Lieblich  ist  sein  Wasser, 
Labend,  rein  und  silberhell. 

Schone  f  rische  Baume — 

Sieh! — umschatten  ihn, 

Balsamreiche  Blumen 

Bliih'n  auf  Auen,  dunkelgriin."  etc. 

Is.  13-20. 

Here  the  metaphor  is  elaborated  by  the  introduction  of 
features  associated  with  the  brook, — the  freshness  and 
lustre  of  its  waters,  the  verdant  coolness  of  the  trees 
that  shade  it,  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers  that  dot  its 
green  banks.  Soon  we  have  forgotten  that  the  spring 
of  which  Hebbel  sings  is  Friendship.  The  underlying 
abstract  idea  vanishes  and  we  are  spirited  away  to  the 
shady  scene  of  the  poet's  fancy;  we  are  actually  beside 
the  silvery  brook,  inhaling  its  sweet  coolness  and  tast- 
ing its  limpid  waters. 

Similarly  in  the  second  one  of  the  Fragment e  (VII, 
38),  the  underlying  thought  of  Immortality  is  but  dimly 
present  in  our  mind  as  we  read.  The  luminous  imagery 
breaks  through  all  abstract  tissue,  a  picture  rich  in  con- 
crete details  takes  shape  in  our  fancy: 

"  Die  schonste  Himmelsblume  bliihet 

Mit  lichtem  Glanz, 
Der  ihren  zarten  Flor  umziehet 

Im  irdschen  Kranz. 
Sie  macht  das  Gleiche  gleich  und  funkelt, 

Wie  ein  Gebild 
Aus  Himmelshoh'n,  wie  sehr  es  dunkelt, 

So  himmlisch  mild. 
Wohl  thront  sie  gern  auf  Konigsthronen, 

Und  segnet  sie — " 


116        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

The  same  clear  sense  impressions  are  conveyed  by 
light  and  color  terms  in  less  elaborate  metaphors.  Take 
such  figures  as: 

(a)  "Und  als  im  diistern  Fittig 

Die  eis'ge  Nacht  uns  verbarg," 

Er  und  ich,  13-4  (VII,  24) 

(b)  "Wie,  wenn  die  Dammerung  das  bunte  Leben 

Schon  in  den  diistergrauen  Schleier  hiillt," 

An  Ludwig  Uhland,  1-2  (VII,  99) 

Here  the  fibre  of  such  epithets  as  duster  and  diistergrau 
is  unmistakably  concrete  and  sensuous,  although  the 
terms  form  part  of  the  metaphors  Fittig  and  Schleier 
respectively. 

It  will  appear  from  the  foregoing  that  in  tabulating 
Hebbel's  color  and  light  terms  and  in  isolating  the  meta- 
phorical instances  we  use  the  designation  metaphor  in 
an  arbitrary  sense,  deviating  somewhat  from  the  common 
acceptation  of  the  word.  This  divergence  is  further 
illustrated  by  our  disposition  of  the  instances  of  Glut, 
gliihen,  erloschen,  entziinden  and  the  like.  Our  classi- 
fication necessarily  brings  us  into  conflict  with  the  prac- 
tice of  lexicographers.  In  passages  such  as  the  follow- 
ing, gliihen,  erlosch  are  for  us  sensuous  and  concrete. 
Upon  our  basis  of  classification,  the  terms  cannot  be 
taken  as  metaphors,  although  the  custom  prevails  of 
classing  as  figurative  the  use  of  gliihen  and  erloschen  in 
the  secondary  sense  here  implied: 

(a)  "Eine  Rose  wohl  sehe  ich  gliihen" 

Sehnsucht,  7  (VII,  9) 

(b)  "Dunkelroth  im  Morgenlicht 

Gluh'n  des  Schlosses  blanke  Zinnen," 

Ritter  Fortunat,  5-6  (VII,  88) 


COLORS  117 

(c)     ".  .  .  .  die  Glut  erlosch  auf  meinen  Wangen" 

Das  Abendmahl  des  Herrn,  19  (VII,  122) 

Whenever  terms  like  these  record  and  convey  intense 
visual  or  tactual  impressions,  despite  any  expressed  or 
implied  abstract  thought,  then  we  take  the  liberty  of 
counting  them  among  the  instances  of  sensuous  imagery. 
When  on  the  other  hand  the  underlying  spiritual  concept 
is  throughout  dominant,  when  the  colors  and  lights  that 
shimmer  through  adorn  yet  do  not  transcend  the  ab- 
stract idea — then  the  sensuous  becomes  virtually  a  rhe- 
torical symbol.  And  this  symbol  is  felt  to  have  lost  its 
objectivity  in  a  measure.  We  are  not  conscious  of  direct 
sense  impression,  because  the  spiritual  outweighs  the 
physical.  We  are  not  borne  on  the  wings  of  sensuous 
imagination  away  from  the  shadow  realm  of  the  intellect 
into  the  poetic  land  of  matter  and  form.  There  can  be 
no  question  of  the  preeminence  of  the  abstract  idea  of 
guilt  and  remorse  over  all  concrete  associations  sug- 
gested by  umdiistern  in  the  following  lines  from  Rosa: 

"  Und  ihre  Unschuld  Hess  sie  dort, 
Den  Himmel  Hess  sie  dort  zuriick, 
Und  H611'  umdiistert  ihren  Blick." 

Rosa,  56-8  (VII,  28) 

Similarly  in  the  poem  An  einen  Verkannten,  the  symbols 
bring  a  message  to  the  intellect  rather  than  to  the  senses. 
The  abstract  concept  on  the  whole  predominates,  despite 
such  terms  as  umdunkeln  and  trub: 

"  Sei  verkannt !  Lass  dich  nur  Nacht  umdunkeln ! 
Deine  Tugend  wird  im  Himmelsspiegel  funkeln, 
Wenn  auch  nicht  im  truben  dieser  Zeit." 

An  einen  Verkannten,  1-3  (VII,  40) 

In  the  majority  of  passages  thus  far  quoted  classifica- 
tion is  relatively  easy.    Very  often,  however,  a  passage 


118        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

is  of  such  a  nature  that  any  positive  and  final  classifica- 
tion must  give  occasion  for  considerable  doubt.  As  an 
example  of  such  a  doubtful  case  we  may  quote  from  the 
poem  Drei  Schwestern  (VI,  405)  : 

1. 1    "Drei  Schwestern  sind's  von  sanftem  Reiz  umstralt, 

1.  5      Und  lieblicher  hab'  ich  den  Horentanz 
Noch  nie  erblickt  in  seinem  Zauberglanz. 

1.  25    Die  Dritte  hat  noch  eine  lange  Frist, 

Sie  weiss  noch  kaum,  dass  sie  kein  Kind  mehr  ist, 
Bald  aber  steht  auch  sie  im  rothen  Schein 
Des  Morgenlichts  und  schimmert  ganz  allein, 
Denn,  wie  am  Himmelsrande  Firn  nach  Firn, 
Vergoldet  es  auf  Erden  Stirn  nach  Stirn." 

Here  the  imagery  of  the  morning  with  its  golden  lights 
will  speak  a  various  language  to  various  minds,  or  to 
various  moods  of  the  same  mind.  It  may  suggest  the 
physical  qualities  of  the  young  maiden  and  stimulate  the 
fancy  through  the  senses  to  vivid  reproduction  of  the 
maiden's  bodily  charms.  Then  again  the  imagery  may 
be  regarded  as  suggesting  and  suggested  by  purely  spir- 
itual qualities  of  the  maiden.  Taken  in  its  connection 
the  passage  would  seem  rather  to  symbolize  the  sunny 
character  of  the  girl,  the  sprightliness  of  her  disposition, 
the  blithe  freshness  and  hope  of  her  budding  nature.  If 
this  be  correct,  the  main  impression  would  be  not  physi- 
cal, not  colors  and  lights  as  something  present  to  the 
senses,  but  rather  the  implied  ideas  of  gayety  and  light- 
heartedness.  Under  the  latter  interpretation,  consistency 
would  require  the  classification  of  the  terms  involved  as 
so  far  forth  metaphorical.  But  confessedly  a  decision 
in  favor  of  one  view  will  be  followed  by  a  return  to  the 
mind  of  the  claims  of  the  other,  and  that  too  with  re- 


COLORS  119 

doubled  intensity.  In  such  doubtful  cases  one  cannot 
do  more  than  consider  both  sides  fairly  and  admit  frankly 
the  arbitrariness  of  the  final  decision. 

The  number  of  such  dogmatic  decisions  is  unfortu- 
nately quite  considerable.  Occasionally,  as  in  the  case 
of  Drei  Schwestern,  we  are  moved  to  consider  Hebbel's 
color  symbolism  as  an  effective  rhetorical  medium  un- 
attended by  direct  sensory  impression.  In  general,  how- 
ever, his  known  sensitiveness  to  color  stimuli  and  his 
extended  and  persistent  use  of  their  symbols  seemed  to 
warrant  a  decision  of  doubtful  cases  in  favor  of  the 
sensuous  and  the  concrete. 

I.     COLOR  PROPER 
1.    Red57 

Of  all  the  hues  and  tints,  red  occurs  most  frequently, 
83  out  of  the  278  hues  being  roth  or  one  of  its  deriva- 
tives or  compounds,  with  3  instances  of  metaphor.  Of 
the  compounds  of  roth,  morgenroth  appears  8  times, 
dbendroth,  5;  other  common  compounds  are  rosenroth 
and  blutroth. 

Red  is  used  in  a  variety  of  connections ;  it  occurs  with 
great  effectiveness: 

(a)  In  descriptions  of  persons,  particularly  when  ref- 
erence is  had  to  lips  and  cheeks,  where  the  color  often 
serves  as  a  concomitant  of  passion,  anger,  delight,  em- 
barrassment :  "ein  rothes,  trages  Kind," :  Unter'm  Baum 
2  (VI,  272).  "das  freud'ge  Roth":  Meiner  Tochter 


57  Cf.  Purple,  p.  129  and  footnote.  With  respect  to  Heb- 
bel's employment  of  red,  cf.  Tgb.  I,  1578:  "Im  Russischen 
bezeichnet  dasselbe  Wort  roth  und  schon.  Uebrigens  fliegt  mir, 
wenn  ich  an  etwas  Schemes  denke,  zugleich  immer  die  rothe 
Farbe  durch  den  Kopf." 


120       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Christine,  etc.,  13  (VI,  423).  "Wohl  lachelt  mir  Dein 
rother  Mund" :  Auf  ein  sehr  schones  junges  Madchen  1 
(VI,  426).  Cf.  Sturmabend  21-2  (VI,  143);  Die 
heilige  Drei  85-6  (VI,  181)  ;  Ein  f nines  Liebesleben  36 
(VI,  199),  etc.,  etc. 

(b)  Frequently  in  descriptions  of  nature,  often  with 
symbolic  implication,  as  of  guilt,  crime,   sorrow,  etc.; 
also    in    descriptions    of    fruits,    plants,    flowers,    etc.: 
"blutroth,  blutroth  grinset  mir  die  Sonne" :  Kains  Klage 
43   (VII,  10).     "Der  Mond  schien  aus  diistrer  Feme 
blutroth  auf  den  nachtlichen  Wald":  Rosa,  129-31  (VII, 
28).     "von  rothen  Blitzen  scharf  durchzogen":  Liebes- 
zauber  4  (VI,  156).     Cf.  also  Auf  ein  neues  Trinkglas 
2  (VII,  118)  ;  Stillstes  Leben  8  (VII,  140)  ;  Vater  unser 
13-5  (VI,  169),  etc.,  etc. 

(c)  As   mere   intensifying   attribute  of    some  term 
of  light;  some  of  the  terms  under  (b),  nature,  partake 
of  this  quality :  "im  rothen  Schein" :  Drei  Schwestern  27 
(VI,  405).  "Mit  rother  Fackel":  Prolog  zum  26  Februar, 
etc.,  48    (VI,  418).     "auf  rothlicher  Glut":   Lied  der 
Geister  6  (VII,  63).    Cf.  Der  alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  2 
(VII,  132)  ;  Still  und  heimlich  19  (VII,  163). 

(d)  As  attribute  of  wine,  blood,  etc. :  "weiss  und  roth 
die  vollen  Flaschen  stehen":  Zum  Schiller- Jubilaum  13- 
4  (VI,  407).     "in  deinem  Blute  roth  gefarbt":  Epilog 
zum  Timon  von  Athen  22  (VI,  432).    "Da  springt  aus 
dem  Mund  ihr  das  Blut  so  roth":  Der  Tanz  25   (VII, 
72).    Cf.  Im  Garten  10-12  (VII,  80). 

(e)  Metaphor:   "der  Liebe  Rosenroth":   An  Laura 
19  (VII,  50).    "Die  menschliche  Blume  ist  rosenroth": 
Lied  der  Geister  13  (VII,  63).    "Ich  bin  der  Tod  und 
pfliicke    mir    ein    Blumlein    roth":    Todes-Tiicke    12-3 
(VII,  76).    Cf.  Ein  f  rimes  Liebesleben  185-6  (VI,  199). 

(f)  Miscellaneous:     "Dunkelroth     im     Morgenlicht 


COLORS  121 

gliih'n  des  Schlosses  blanke  Zinnen":  Ritter  Fortunat 
5-6  (VII,  88).  "Was  flackert  roth  die  Miihle":  Die 
Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  1  (VII,  90).  "Es  gait  dem 
Edelsteine,  der  roth  am  Finger  blinkte":  Traum  22-3 
(VII,  166).  "funkelnde  Rubinen,  blank,  wie  Dolche, 
roth,  wie  Blut":  Eine  moderne  Ballade  22-3  (VII,  188). 

2.     Gold 

Gold  with  45  instances,  of  which  9  occur  in  metaphors, 
ranks  next  to  red  in  frequency  of  occurrence.  The 
color  combinations  in  which  "gold"  figures  promi- 
nently are  frequently  brilliant,  gorgeous,  or  even 
gaudy:  ".  .  .  .  ein  goldnes  Meer  von  Farben" :  Der 
Schmetterling  9-10  (VI,  196).  "Fahnen,  schwarz-gold- 
rothen":  Die  heilige  Drei  117  (VI,  181). 

(a)  Gold  is  most  often  met  in  descriptions  of  jewels, 
costly  treasures  such  as  crowns,  goblets,  gems  and  the 
like.    In  these  descriptions  the  term  connotes  primarily 
the  metal,  but  incidentally  the  color  as  well :  "Zum  gold- 
nen  Becher":  Die  Odaliske  31   (VI,  187).     "in  purem 
Golde    glanzen":    Prolog    zu    Goethes    hundertjahriger 
Geburtsfeier  85  (VI,  298).    "Ein  goldnes  Netz  im  vollen 
goldnen   Haar":    Der    Princess    Marie   Wittgenstein    1 
(VI,  403).    Cf.  Fiir  ein  Ringreiterfest  66  (VII,  4) ;  Der 
alten   Cotter  Abendmahl   19    (VII,   132)  ;   Flocken   88 
(VII,  44)  ;  Des  Konigs  Jagd  9  (VII,  85)  ;  Des  Konigs 
Tod  9-10  (VII,  123). 

(b)  In  descriptions  of  nature,  chiefly  the  heavens; 
of  flowers  and  plants,  fruits,  etc. :  "Aus  dem  goldnen 
Morgen-Qualm" :  Meisengluck  1  (VI,  284).     "die  gold- 
nen Sterne":  Im  romischen  Carneval  7  (VI,  308).    "Im 
gold'nen   Sonnenstral" :  Ein  Wald  52    (VI,  397).     Cf. 
Ein  Mittag  6  (VII,  101)  ;  An  die  Tugend  69  (VII,  14), 
etc.,  etc. 


122        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(c)  Rarely  in  descriptions  of  persons,  as  attribute 
of  hair:  "Das  Haar  so  golden":  Drei  Schwestern  9  (VI, 
405).     "goldnes  Haar":  Romanze  23  (VII,  26).     "hell, 
wie  Gold,  das  Ringelhaar":  Rosa  42  (VII,  28).    Also: 
"Gottes  eig'ner  Finger  leuchtet  golden  durch  ihr  Ange- 
sicht":  Das  Madchen  im  Kampf  mit  sich  selbst  29-30 
(VI,  232).    "Nichts  und  Alles  bist  du,  Gold  und  Staub": 
Fragmente  No.  4,  line  12  (VII,  39).    The  color  associa- 
tion of  Gold  in  this  passage  is  very  remote. 

(d)  Familiar  metaphors:  "goldne  Zeit":  Prolog  zum 
26  Februar  101  (VI,  418).    "die  Rose  goldner  Himmels- 
ruh":    Der    Quell    31-2    (VII,    16).      The    derivative 
vergolden  in  the  metaphorical  sense  of   "to  enhance," 
"beautify"   occurs   3   times:    "Und   auch   den   plattsten 
Gesellen  vergoldet  ihr  Auge  mir":  Die  Kirmess   15-6 
(VI,    278).      "vergoldet  .  .  .  .  auf    Erden    Stirn    nach 
Stirn":  Drei  Schwestern  30  (VI,  405).     "seinen  Schlaf 
vergolden  viel  Traume":  Romanze  36  (VII,  42). 

(e)  Miscellaneous:  "Den  gold'nen  Schatten":  Prolog 
zum  26  Februar  124  (VI,  418).     "gold'nes  Gefieder": 
Der  Bramine  94  (VI,  434).    "der  gold'ne  Wein":  Lustig 
tritt  ein  schoner  Knabe  30  (VI,  437).    "goldne  Harfe": 
AnElise  9  (VII,  175). 

3.     Blue 

Blue  is  perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  the  colors  em- 
ployed by  Hebbel.  As  the  color  of  the  heavens  par  excel- 
lence it  figures  prominently  in  nature  descriptions,  for 
Hebbel  rarely  leaves  the  sky  out  of  his  landscape.  Being 
the  prevailing  hue  of  the  sky,  it  blends  easily  with  light 
in  Hebbel's  thought  and  occurs  frequently  as  an  attri- 
bute of  light:  "in  blaulichem  Glanz";  "blaulich  klar"; 
"stralend  und  blau" ;  "blaue  Liifte." 


COLORS  123 

Blau  is  one  of  the  few  colors  in  which  Hebbel  makes 
any  formal  distinction  of  shade,  the  sky  pictures  ob- 
viously calling  for  a  variety  of  bluish  tints.  Of  the  29 
instances,  none  can  be  regarded  as  strictly  metaphorical. 

(a)  Evidently  the  laughing  blue  of  the  Italian  sky 
inspired  the  following  descriptions:  "Sah  ich  je  ein  Blau, 
wie  droben  klar  und  voll  den  Himmel  schmuckt  ?"  :  Opfer 
des  Friihlings  1-2  (VI,  217).    "durch  den  Aether  .... 
den  blaulich-klaren" :  Die  Lerche  4  (VI,  309).     "unter 
dieser  Blaue,  die  man  nie  noch  schoner  sah":  Der  Tod 
kennt  den  Weg  9-10  (VI,  394).    Cf.  Ein  Mittag  7  (VII, 
101)  ;  Friihlingslied  3  (VI,  154) ;  An  Elise  4  (VII,  175), 
etc.,  etc. 

(b)  A  deeper  shade  of  blue  is  the  thought  in  the  fol- 
lowing :  "Oben  in  Wolken  in  blaulichem  Glanz" :  Proteus 
21  (VI,  253).    "dies  Verflammen  im  nachtlichen  Blau!": 
Proteus  23.     "das  dunkle  Blau":  Rosa  3-4  (VII,  28). 
Cf.    Rosa    11-2;    Rosa    104;    Rosa    162;    Das   traurige 
Licht  2  (VII,  181). 

(c)  Like  black  (see  page  127),  blue  is  occasionally 
employed  to  secure  specific  effects.     It  serves  to  throw 
a  gruesome  light  upon  some  dark  deed,  or  some  ominous 
event;  and  it  affords  a  suitable  illumination  for  those 
somber    pictures,     those    vague    midnight-moods    that 
Hebbel  excels  in  portraying:  "Sie  schwingt  sich  in  ihrem 
Schmerze  zuriick  ins  diistre  Blau":  Romanze  3    (VII, 
42).     "bei'm  blauen  Mondenlicht" :  's  ist  Mitternacht  3 
(VI,  174).    "So  wird  man  sich  tummeln  bei'm  jiingsten 
Gericht,  wenn  blau,  wie  der  Mond,  die  Sonne  ihr  Licht 
versendet":  Der  heilige  Johannes  33-5  (VII,  210).    Cf. 
Vater  und  Sohn  37-9  (VI,  427). 

(d)  In  figure  descriptions  blue  is  rare;  it  occurs  4 
times  as  attribute  of  Auge:  "Ihr  blaues  Auge":  Schon 
Hedwig  13  (VI,  172).     "Ihr  Goldenes  Haar,  ihr  blaues 


124       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Auge":  Romanze  23-4  (VII,  26).  "das  blaue  Auge": 
Das  Kind  4  (VII,  66).  "Ob  man  ihr  mit  .  .  .  .  blauen 
Augen  ....  gefalle":  Liebeszauber  47-8  (VI,  156). 

(e)  Miscellaneous:  "Erne  Glockenblume  ....  blau": 
Eine  Glockenblume  1-4  (VII,  194).  "Blumen  darunter 
gemischt,  rothlich  stralend  und  blau":  Flocken  61  (VII, 
44).  "auf  blaulicher  Flut":  Lied  der  Geister  5  (VII, 
63).  Cf.  Der  beste  Liebesbrief  7-8  (VI,  285)  ;  Fur  ein 
Ringreiterfest  42  (VII,  4). 

4.     Green 

Just  as  blue  predominates  in  descriptions  of  the  sky, 
so  (naturally  enough)  green  is  the  chief  color  in  land- 
scapes. Three  of  the  29  cases  are  in  metaphors.  Green 
appears  in  descriptions  of: 

(a)  The  general  aspect  of  a  scene:  "Griinen,  Bliihen, 
Duften,  Glanzen,"  etc.:  Herbstgefiihl  1  (VI,  230).    "ins 
weiche  Grim" :  Das  Kind  22  (VII,  74).  "die  Rose, 

die  hier  im  Griinen  hangt":  Sommerreise  15-6  (VI,  276). 
"Schlummernd  im  schwellenden  Grim":  Einziges  Ge- 
schiedensein  1  (VI,  212). 

(b)  Some  specific  features  of  a  scene: 

(i)  As  attribute  of  Tal,  Hain,  Garten:  "O  Park, 
sei  mir  gesegnet!  bleib  ewig  frisch  und  griin":  Ein 
Geburtstag  auf  der  Reise  81-2  (VI,  247).  "ewig- 
griiner  Garten":  Die  Erde  und  der  Mensch  18  (VI, 
303).  "im  grunen  Thai":  An  seine  Majestat  Konig 
Wilhelm,  etc.,  60  (VI,  412).  Cf.  An  Ludwig  Uhland 
5  (VII,  99)  ;  Der  Quell  20  (VII,  16)  ;  Die  Nacht  9 
(VII,  26). 

(ii)  In  descriptions  of  flowers,  trees,  plants,  etc.: 
"mit  Palmen  ....  ewig  griin":  Elegie  19-20  (VII, 
22).  "Unter  grunen  Myrthen":  An  Laura  9-10  (VII, 


COLORS  125 

50).  "goldne  Frucht  erglanzt  am  griinen  Reise": 
Widmungsgedicht  4  (VII,  107).  Cf.  An  Hedwig  13-4 
(VI,  208)  ;  Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings  40  (VI,  217)  ; 
Der  Zauberhain  3-4  (VI,  387),  etc.,  etc. 

(c)  In  metaphor  based  upon  the  idea  of  color  in 
flowers,  plants,  etc. :  "Grunt  dir  der  Freundschaft  Sieges- 
palme":  Freundschaft  39  (VII,  21).    "Was  sie  pflanzen, 
grunt  ewig  fort":  Fragmente,  No.  3,  line  6  (VII,  38). 
"Von  der  Freundschaft  ....  Myrthengriin" :  An  Laura 
20  (VII,  50).     Cf.  Prolog  zu  Goethes  hundertjahriger 
Geburtsfeier  13  (VI,  298). 

(d)  Miscellaneous:    "der    Schlange   grimes    Auge": 
Waldbilder    75    (VI,   221).     "zum   grunen   Festaltar": 
Adams  Opfer  2   (VI,  238).     "urn  den  grunen  Tisch": 
Eine  Moderne  Ballade  4  (VII,  188). 

5.     White 

Of  the  27  cases  of  white,  16,  or  over  one  half,  occur 
in  descriptions  of  persons.  Weiss  is  not  once  used  meta- 
phorically. In  the  majority  of  cases  reference  is  had 
to  the : 

(a)  Garb  or  dress:  "Im  weissen  Feierkleide" :  Die 
heilige  Drei  36  (VI,  181).  "Ihre  Kleider,  ihre  weissen": 
Das   Venerabile   in   der    Nacht   11    (VI,    286).      "Das 
Magdelein  tritt  im  weissen  Feierkleid":  Meiner  Tochter 
Christine  ins  Gebetbuch  1    (VI,  423).     Cf.  Wohin  so 
flink,  Du  junges  Kind?  25   (VI,  441);  Rosa  14  (VII, 
28)  ;  Wiedersehen  70  (VII,  109). 

(b)  Complexion  of  hands :  "Bei  ihrer  weissen  Hand" : 
Schon  Hedwig  12  (VI,  172).     "mit  den  weissen  Han- 
den":  Letzter  Gruss  5  (VI,  214).     "Die  Hande,  die  es 
halten,  weiss,  wie  Wachs":  Drei  Schwestern  10    (VI, 
405).    Cf.  Was  ist  das  fur  ein  Frauenbild  3-4  (VI,  418). 


126        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(c)  Color  of  hair  or  beard:  "In  weissem  Bart":  Das 
Korn  auf  dem  Dach  10  (VI,  190).    "Nun  packt  er  den 
Vater  bei'm  weissen  Schopf":  Vater  und  Sohn  9  (VI, 
427). 

(d)  Weiss  is  rare  in  description  of  nature.     There 
are  two  references  to  landscape  in  which  weiss  occurs, 
both   in  the  poem   Winterlandschaft:  in  one  of   these 
passages  the  snow   suggests  the  grim  figure  of  death 
attired    in    white    festal    garb:    "der   Tod    im    weissen 
Festgewand":   Winterlandschaft  12    (VII,   165).     "die 
weisse  Flache":  Winterlandschaft  1.     These  instances, 
brief  though  they  be,  give  us  a  faint  touch  of  a  quality 
that   characterizes    much    of    modern    landscape    paint- 
ing— the  subtle  suggestion  of  a  soul  manifested  by  the 
lights  and  colors  of  the  outer  world.     It  is  with  weiss 
moreover,  generally  in  combination  with  other  more  dis- 
mal tints  (blass,  grau  and  the  like),  that  some  of  the 
most  strikingly  weird  and  uncanny  effects  are  secured, 
e.g.  "Linnen  rings,  das  weisse,  bleiche,  in  der  Mitt'  ein 
dunkler  Sarg":  Das  Wiedersehen  70-1  (VII,  109). 

In  only  four  passages  does  weiss  occur  in  con- 
nection with  flowers:  "Der  weissen  (Rose)  bist  du  heute 
gleich":  Ein  frtihes  Liebesleben  65  (VI,  199).  "Man- 
delbaum  im  weissen  Kleid":  Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings 
20  (VI,  217).  "Die  Nelke,  weiss  und  rothlich 
weiss  ist  es  wohl  im  Grunde":  Im  Garten  7-9  (VII,  80). 
Cf.  Lied  der  Geister  15  (VII,  63). 

In  view  of  the  predominance  of  weiss  in  figure  pictures 
it  is  noteworthy  that  all  of  the  flower  descriptions  above 
have  a  very  close  connection  with  persons.  For  the  color 
of  the  flowers  is  either  made  the  basis  of  a  complexional 
comparison  (Frtihes  Liebesleben;  Im  Garten:)  or  it  is 
metaphorically  associated  with  human  dress  (Opfer  des 
Friihlings;  Lied  der  Geister). 


COLORS  127 

(e)  Equally  rare  is  weiss  in  descriptions  of  animals: 
"weisse  Pfoten":  Aus  der  Kindheit  23  (VI,  194).    "ein 
weisser    Schmetterling" :     Sommerbild    6     (VI,    230). 
"Nimm  (dem  Schmetterling) — seinen  weissen  Flugel": 
Der  beste  Liebesbrief  7-8  (VI,  285).    Cf.  Noch  ist  Polen 
nicht  verloren  28  (VII,  216). 

(f)  Miscellaneous:  "Vor'm  Karrner  sieht  man,  weiss 
und  roth,  die  vollen  Flaschen  stehen":   Zum   Schiller- 
Jubilaum    13-4    (VI,    407).     "ein    weisses    Leuchten": 
Das  Licht  will  sich  verstecken  19  (VII,  173). 

6.     Black 

(a)  Five  of  the  23  instances  of  schwarz  allude  to 
personal    appearance;    only    twice    do    the    proverbially 
seductive  black  eyes  win  from  Hebbel  the  tribute  of 
brief   passing   allusion:    "schwarze    (Augen)":    Liebes- 
zauber    48     (VI,     156).       "ihre     dunklen,     schwarzen 
Augen":     Stanzen    auf    ein    Sicilianisches    Schwester- 
paar  49   (VI,  215).     The  three  remaining  passages  al- 
lude   (i)   to  general  complexion:  "Jedwedes  Angesicht 
.  .  .  .  schwarz  geraucht":   Diocletian   43-5    (VI,   429). 
"die    schwarzen    Todtentrager" :    Das    Wiedersehen    85 
(VII,  109).     (ii)  to  dress:  "Im  schwarzen  Gewande  ein 
Jungling  sich  naht" :  Der  Tanz  10  (VII,  72).    Five  times 
schwarz  has  metaphorical  force. 

(b)  In  descriptions  of  nature,  black  is  usually  made 
to  serve  a  definite  purpose,  whether  it  be  merely  (i)  that 
of  color  contrast:  "Wie  der  Sterne  Goldgefunkel  durch 
die  schwarze  Hiille  bricht":  An  die  Tugend  69-70  (VII, 
14).     "Im  schwarzen  Felsgestein" :  Das  Licht  will  sich 
verstecken  6  (VII,  173)  ;  or  (ii)  correspondence  with  the 
mood  of  the  scene,  as  in  the  passages  from  Rosa  quoted 
above   (see  pp.  107-8),  e.g.   "des  Himmels  Dunkelblau 


128       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

wird  nachtlich  schwarz  und  erdengrau":  Rosa  11-2 
(VII,  28).  (iii)  Generally  it  is  employed  to  lend  an  at- 
mosphere of  mystery  and  gloom,  so  in  poems  in  which 
the  supernatural  element  is  important  (compare  above: 
"im  schwarzen  Gewand  ein  Jiingling  sich  naht") ; 
"Pfliicke  nicht  die  schwarzen  Rosen" :  Zauberhain  9  (VI, 
387). 

(c)  Schwarz  is  rarely  lacking  in  allusions  to  death. 
It  occurs : 

(i)  In  certain  conventional  metaphors:  "den 
schwarzen  Tod":  Der  Tod  kennt  den  Weg  32  (VI, 
394)  ;  again  in  line  96.  "trank  den  schwarzen  Tod" : 
Das  Wiedersehen  95  (VII,  109). 

(ii)  In  passages  where  the  reference  to  death  is 
more  remote,  yet  distinctly  felt :  "in's  schwarze  Grab" : 
Kinderloos  6  (VII,  162).  "In  die  schwarze  Erde  da 
grub  man  sie  ein":  Das  Kind  7  (VII,  66).  "der 
Schlange  grimes  Auge  blinzt  mich  an  vom  schwarzen 
Grund":  Waldbilder  75-6  (VI,  221).  Cf.  Vater  und 
Sohn  17  (VI,  427)  ;  Traum  62  (VII,  166). 

(d)  Miscellaneous:    "der    Sorgen    schwarz    Gewim- 
mel":  Menschen-Schicksal  8  (VII,  77).    "Den  schwarzen 
Eber  hetzend":  Herr  und  Knecht  27  (VI,  388). 

7.     Gray 

The  instances  of  grau,  14  in  number,  do  not  readily 
lend  themselves  to  formal  classification.  Only  one  case 
of  metaphor  was  noted.  There  is  a  general  tone  of 
melancholy  and  gloom  pervading  the  pictures  into  which 
gray  is  brought;  gray  is  one  of  the  colors  that  Hebbel 
regularly  uses  for  sombre  effects :  "das  Felsenhaupt,  das 
graue":  Die  Spanierin  7  (VI,  176).  "Hinter  grauer 
Nebel  Schleier":  Opfer  des  Fruhlings  11  (VI,  217). 


COLORS  129 

"Bei'm  Dammerlicht  des  Mondes  schau'  ich  gern  der 
grauen  Weltstadt  brockelnde  Ruinen":  Eine  Mondnacht 
in  Rom  1-2  (VI,  309).  Cf.  An  Ludwig  Uhland  1-2 
(VII,  99). 

In  the  passages  from  Rosa,  gray  combines  with  black 
to  produce  the  effect  of  ominous  foreboding.  Of  a  som- 
bre, sepulchral  dreariness  is  the  following  passage  from 
Kirchhof:  "Das  dumpfe  Beinhaus  mit  dem  Gegitterwerk, 
....  und  dem  grauen  verschlossnen  Thor" :  Der  Kirch- 
hof 10  (VII,  100).  Cf.  "des  Himmels  Dunkelblau  wird 
nachtlich  schwarz  und  erdengrau":  Rosa  11-2  (VII,  28)  : 
also  Rosa  105-6 ;  161-2. 

Gray  is  rare  in  descriptions  as  concomitant  of  old  age : 
"Der  Greis,  der  zeigt  auf's  graue  Haupt":  Herr  und 
Knecht  16  (VI,  388).  "Der  alte  Konig,  schwach  und 
grau":  Des  Konigs  Tod  1  (VII,  123). 

Miscellaneous:  "zur  grauen,  hasslichen  Raupe":  Ein- 
falle  88  (VII,  54).  "in  grauen  Romertagen":  An 
seine  Majestat  Konig  Wilhelm,  etc.,  41  (VI,  412). 
"Funken  mit  Grau  und  Schwarz  vermischt" :  Die  Kir- 
mess  33-4  (VI,  278).  "Den  wollte  ich  vergiften  durch 
dieses  graue  Pulverlein":  Des  Konigs  Jagd  38  (VII,  85). 

8.     Purple58 

(a)  Appearing  8  times  in  all,  purple  occurs  in  4 
descriptions  as  the  symbol  and  accompaniment  of  royal 
splendor  and  luxury:  "Es  harrt  auf  weichem  Purpur- 
sammt  die  jiingste  Sklavin  ihres  Herrn" :  Die  Odaliske 
1-2  (VI,  187).  "Den  Konig  aufzufinden,  der  schon 
den  Purpurmantel  tragt":  Prolog  zu  Goethes  .  .  .  . 
Geburtsfeier  97-8  (VI,  298).  "das  Purpurfarb'ge 


58  It  seemed  advisable  to  isolate  the  instances  of  "purpur," 
although  in  some  cases  the  reference  is  primarily  to  "red." 


130       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Prachtgewand" :  Epilog  zum  Timon,  etc.,  8  (VI,  432). 
"hangt  ihm  den  Purpur  urn":  Vater  und  Sohn  36  (VII, 
152). 

(b)  Purple  appears,  further,  in  personal  description: 
"Da  ward  zur  Purpurflamme  dein  Gesicht":  Auf  ein 
errothendes  junges  Madchen,  etc.,  2  (VI,  213).  "Einst 
sahst  du  .  .  .  .  sie  [i.e.  die  Wange]  gluhen,  wie  Morgen- 
roths  Purpur  so  roth":  Rosa  27-8  (VII,  28).  "In  dei- 
nem  gestohl'nen  Purpur":  Waldbilder  59  (VI,  221). 
"Ich  will  den  Funken  aus  den  Hoh'n,  der  ....  zuletzt 
zur  Flamme  sich  entziindet:  zur  Flamme,  die  ....  uns 
im  reinsten  Purpur  malt,  wie  sich  Natur  und  Geist  ver- 
woben":  Auf  die  Deutsche  Kunstlerin  5-12  (VI,  282). 
(The  last  quotation  is  the  only  clear  instance  of  meta- 
phor.) 

9.     Brown 

Brown  occurs  in  the  following  personal  descriptions, 
reference  being  either  to  eyes,  hair,  or  general  complex- 
ion :  "Ob  man  ihr  mit  braunen  oder  blauen  Augen  .... 
gefalle":  Liebeszauber  47  (VI,  156).  "dunkelbraunes 
Haar":  Lied  (Komm'  wir  wollen  Erdbeer'n  pflucken) 
14  (VI,  151).  "die  Braune":  Kirmess  10  (VI,  278). 
"die  (Zigeuner)  geigen  oder  blasen  frisch  und  werden 
stiindlich  brauner":  Husaren-Werbung  11-2  (VI,  191). 
"Horch  die  geigenden  Zigeuner!  ....  Die  Gesichter 
immer  brauner":  Aus  dem  Wiener  Prater  1-3  (VI, 
423).  In  one  passage  the  eyes  described  are  a  dog's: 
"Mit  den  treuen  braunen  Augen,"  etc. :  Schau  ich  in  die 
tiefste  Feme  9  (VI,  408).  Brown  occurs  in  only  one 
description  that  is  non-personal:  "In  der  gebraunten 
Stube":  Das  alte  Haus  16  (VI,  266). 

In  none  of  the  8  references  to  brown  do  we  find  the 
color  used  strictly  metaphorically. 


COLORS  131 

10.     Pink 

The  German  term  for  pink  is  rosa.  In  the  lyrics 
the  6  cases  take  the  form  rosig  or  rosen,  and  occur 
mainly  in  compounds  like  rosenroth,  with  one  case  of 
metaphor.  The  first  member  of  this  compound  is  ob- 
viously to  be  traced  back  to  the  flower  Rose,  but  the 
color  of  the  rose  is  the  dominant  thing,  and  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  in  the  terms  rosig,  rosen,  rosenroth,  etc., 
the  reference  to  the  color  pink  is  quite  as  evident  as 
though  rosa  had  been  the  form :  "Wohl  war  das  Magdlein 
rosenroth":  Rosa  31  (VII,  28).  "Wohl  war  der  Ritter 
rosenroth":  Rosa  47.  "von  der  Liebe  Rosenroth  um- 
geben"  (metaphor)  :  An  Laura  19  (VII,  50).  Cf.  Lied 
der  Geister  13  (VII,  63) ;  Selbstvertrauen  5  (VII,  59)  ; 
Flocken  82  (VII,  44),  etc.,  etc. 

11.     Silver 

Silver  occurs  mainly  in  compounds  (silberrein,  silber- 
hell)  :  "die  Sterne  hellten  silberrein,"  etc. :  Rosa  3  (VII, 
28).  "Es  diistern  Wolken  den  Schein  der  silberhellen 
Sternelein" :  Rosa  107-8.  "da  ward  des  Himmels  Erden- 
grau  ....  silberhell,"  etc.:  Rosa  161-2. 

The  above  passages  being  all  descriptive  of  the  heav- 
ens, the  term  silber  necessarily  alludes  primarily  to  the 
color.  In  the  following  instance  metal  takes  precedence 
over  color  in  the  thought:  "Der  silberne  (Pocal)  der  ist 
fur  mich":  Hochzeit  28  (VII,  128). 

There  are  but  4  allusions  to  this  color,  none  of  which 
are  to  be  taken  in  a  metaphorical  sense. 

12.     Yellow 

Yellow  is  used  only  once:  "Eine  Natter  als  Ge- 
schmeide  um  den  Hals,  ....  kauert  dort  ein  gelbes 
Madchen":  Waldbilder  77-9  (VI,  221). 


132       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 
13.     "Falb" 

Falb  (tawny)  appears  but  once:  "In  seiner  (des 
Baumes)  falben  Krone  hangt  gewiirzig  eine  Frucht  voll 
Saft":  Baum  in  der  Wuste  5-6  (VI,  238). 

The  following  table  gives  the  total  number  of  in- 
stances of  each  color,  and  the  number  of  instances  and 
the  percentage  of  metaphorical  employment: 


TABLE  A 

Colors               Total  number 

Metaphor 

Roth     .                      83 

3—3.6% 

Gold      . 

45 

9—20% 

Blau      . 

29 

0—00% 

Grim     . 

29 

3—10.3% 

Weiss    . 

27 

0—00% 

Schwarz 

23 

5—21.7% 

Grau 

14 

1—7.1% 

Purpur 

8 

1—12.5% 

Braun 

8 

0-00% 

Silber    . 

4 

0-00% 

Rosen   . 

6 

1—16.6% 

Falb      . 

1 

0-00% 

Gelb      . 

1 

0—00% 

Total  number  of  instances  of  color  proper,  278 

Total  number  of  instances  and  percentage 

of  metaphor,  23—82% 

II.     LIGHT,  FIRE,  FLAME,  ETC. 

Of  the  terms  grouped  under  the  general  heading 
Light,  Fire,  Flame  and  Glut,  a  very  large  percentage  are 
employed  metaphorically.  And  yet  many  of  the  pas- 
sages quoted  above  in  the  general  discussion  of  Hebbel's 
colors,  pp.  72  ff.,  adequately  illustrate  our  poet's  excep- 
tional susceptibility  to  the  direct  impressions  of  light; 
indeed,  they  form  one  of  the  striking  features  of  many 
of  the  songs.  Surely  in  passages  such  as  the  opening 
lines  of  Der  Wein,  the  "light"  terms  appeal  directly  to 
the  senses,  and  the  number  of  illustrations  of  the  same 


COLORS  133 

sort  might  be  multiplied  indefinitely  from  among  briefer 
allusions  to  light  or  fire : 

"  Du  blinkst  so  hell  und  glanzend  aus  dem  Becher, 
Als  ware  jeder  Stral  in  dir  zerronnen, 
Woraus  du  einst  die  Feuerkraft  gewonnen, 
Die  gluhend  jetzt  entgegen  schaumt  dem  Zecher." 

Der  Wein,  1-4  (VI,  310) 

The  discussion  of  the  metaphorical  employment  of  the 
terms  included  under  Light,  Fire,  Flame  and  Glut  is  not 
here  taken  up ;  we  are  for  the  present  concerned  chiefly 
with  the  sensuous  employment  of  these  terms.  Ex- 
amples of  the  most  important  of  these  are  given  to  show 
the  method  of  their  application. 

1.     Glut 

As  the  cases  involved  in  Glut  are  among  the  most 
numerous,  so  they  present  the  greatest  difficulty  to  formal 
analysis.  It  is  by  no  means  incontestable  that  the  term 
Glut,  with  its  compounds  and  derivatives,  appertains 
primarily  to  light,  or  is  always  suggestive  of  light.  In 
some  instances  reference  is  had  quite  obviously  to  heat, 
the  appeal  is  rather  to  the  tactual  sense  and  the  associa- 
tion with  light  is  only  remote.  This  is  most  often  true 
in  personal  descriptions  where  Glut  appears  as  a  physical 
concomitant  of  certain  emotions.  But  inasmuch  as  even 
in  these  cases  the  element  of  light,  to  some  extent,  is 
present,  all  instances  of  Glut  have  been  treated  as  phases 
of  light  and  have  been  assumed  to  appeal  to  the  sense 
of  sight,  except  in  the  cases  where  there  is  explicit  refer- 
ence to  heat  and  direct  appeal  to  tactual  sensation.  Out 
of  the  101  instances  of  Glut,  49  are  metaphorical  in  sense. 

(a)  Glut  appears  in  the  following  personal  descrip- 
tions: "seine  Wangen  gliih'n":  Schon  Hedwig  5  (VI, 
172).  "Wenn  das  Lampchen  Funken  spriiht,  so  sieht 


134       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

man,  wie  sie  gliiht":  Virgo  et  Mater  7-8  (VI,  178). 
"Von  Licht  und  Glanz  die  Zauberglut  dariiber  (i.e.  iiber 
das  Auge)  hingehaucht" :  Tandelei  7-8  (VI,  211).  Cf. 
Einziges  Geschiedensein  3-4  (VI,  212) ;  Opfer  des 
Fruhlings  27  (VI,  217);  Still  und  heimlich  29  (VII, 
163),  etc.,  etc. 

(b)  In  nature   descriptions   Glut  is   effectively  em- 
ployed in  connection  with: 

(i)  Elemental  forces,  celestial  phenomena  (atmos- 
phere, lightning,  sun,  stars,  etc.):  "gliih'nde  Diifte": 
Vorfriihling  9  (VI,  228).  "Der  Feuergeist  reitet  auf 
rothlicher  Glut":  Lied  der  Geister  6  (VII,  63).  "Wenn 
ich  aus  der  Glut  (i.e.  dem  Blitz)  sie  rette":  Liebes- 
zauber  22  (VI,  156).  Cf.  Waldbilder  53-4  (VI,  221)  ; 
Der  alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  2,  15  (VII,  132),  etc.,  etc. 

(ii)  Less  frequently  in  description  of  flowers, 
fruits,  etc.:  "Keusche  Lorbeern  selbst  ergliihten": 
Opfer  des  Fruhlings  23  (VI,  217).  "Ihr  (i.e.  der 
Rose)  Kelch  bewahrt  ein  letztes  stilles  Gliih'n": 
Meiner  Tochter  Christine  ins  Gebetbuch  16  (VI,  423). 
"Eine  Rose  wohl  seh'  ich  gliihen":  Sehnsucht  7  (VII, 
9).  Cf.  Wiegenlied  9-10  (VII,  165);  Menschen- 
Schicksal  12-3  (VII,  77)  ;  Rosenleben  7-8  (VII,  126), 
etc.,  etc. 

(c)  Miscellaneous: 

(i)  Twice  employed  to  describe  precious  stones: 
"Aus  gliihenden  Perlen" :  Auf  die  Sixtinische  Ma- 
donna 15  (VI,  283).  "Ein  Ring  mit  rothen  Gesteinen, 
die  gliihend,  wie  Kohlen,  erscheinen":  Der  Ring  27-8 
(VI,  390). 

(ii)  In  general  descriptions:  "Dunkelroth  im  Mor- 
genlicht  gliih'n  des  Schlosses  blanke  Zinnen":  Ritter 
Fortunat  5-6  (VII,  88).  "des  Heerdes  Glut":  Ver- 
sohnung  10  (VI,  272). 


COLORS  135 

2.     Licht,  etc. 

The  terms  Licht  and  leucht-  are  together  employed  123 
times,  47  of  the  instances  being  metaphorical.  In  the 
poem  "Zum  Licht,"  Licht  occurs  13  times,  the  constant 
recurrence  of  the  refrain  "zum  Lichte  ringt'!"  accounts 
for  the  frequency  of  the  term  in  this  poem.  Following 
are  the  most  characteristic  and  striking  instances  of  the 
expression : 

(a)  Referring  to  the  radiance  of  the  heavens  and 
the  heavenly  bodies:  "Als  ihren  Lichtstrom  liebevoll  die 
Sonne  ....  niedergoss":    Die   drei  grossen   Tage    5-7 
(VII,  62).    "dieses  Licht,  das  einem  triiben  Sterne  ent- 
fliesst":  Eine  Mondnacht  in  Rom  5-6  (VI,  309).   "Bei'm 
Dammerlicht  des  Mondes" :  Eine  Mondnacht  in  Rom  1-2. 
Cf.  Rosa  163  (VII,  28)  ;  Vorfriihling  11-2  (VI,  228)  ; 
Der  letzte  Baum  7  (VI,  411),  etc.,  etc. 

(b)  Designating  artificial  light  emanating  from  lamp, 
candle,  torch,  etc. :  "Jetzt  lischt's  mit  einmal  aus,  das 
Licht":  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben   132    (VI,   199).     "bei 
heller  Kerzen  Licht":  Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht  123  (VI, 
287).    "Weihnachtslichter" :  Das  abgeschiedene  Kind  an 
seine  Mutter  13  (VI,  294).    Cf.  Zum  Schiller- Jubilaum59 
23-4  (VI,  407)  ;  Das  Wiedersehen  69  (VII,  109) ;  Noch 
ist  Polen  nicht  verloren  141-2  (VII,  216). 

(c)  To    a  limited   extent,   Licht   figures    in   certain 
passages  as  medium  of  contrast  or  comparison:  "Ihre 
Kleider,  ihre  weissen,  schimmern  durch  die  Nacht  wie 
Licht":  Das  Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  11-2   (VI,  286). 
"Jetzt  lischt's  auf  einmal  aus,  das  Licht  .  .  .  .  je  dunkler, 
um  so  besser":  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben  132-4  (VI,  199). 
"Trubes  Licht  von  triiber  Kerze,  ....  in  der  Mitt'  ein 
dunkler  Sarg":  Das  Wiedersehen  69-71  (VII,  109). 

59  Cf.  the  description  of  the  torchlight  procession  in  honor 
of  Schiller,  Tgb.  IV,  5760. 


136        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(d)  Quite  effective  is  the  introduction  of  Licht  to 
secure  the  effect  of  the  supernatural,  the  ominous  or 
the  weird,  although  Hebbel  uses  other  terms  preferably 
for  this  purpose:  "in  gespenst'gem  Lichte  tritt  plotzlich 
aus  dem  Thor  ....  die  heil'ge  Drei  hervor":  Die  hei- 
lige  Drei   21-4    (VI,    181).      "Bei'm    Dammerlicht  des 
Mondes  schau'  ich  gerne  der  grauen  Weltstadt  brockelnde 
Ruinen":    Eine    Mondnacht    in    Rom    1-2    (VI,    309). 
"Triibes  Licht  von  triiber  Kerze" :  Wiedersehen  69  ( VII, 
109). 

(e)  Very    rare    is   Licht    in    personal    descriptions: 
"Ihre  Kleider,  ....  schimmern  ....  wie  Licht" :  Das 
Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  11-2   (VI,  286).     "ein  lichter 
Engel":  An  Elise  7  (VII,  175). 

3.     Glanz 

Twenty  of  the  60  instances  of  Glanz  occur  in  meta- 
phor.   The  term  is  common  in  descriptions : 

(a)  Of   celestial   appearances:    "breit   beglanzt   von 
Wetterleuchtens  Flammen":  Liebeszauber  3  (VI,  156). 
"Schaut  den  Lenz  im  Morgenglanz !" :  Opfer  des  Friih- 
lings  10    (VI,  217).     Cf.   Proteus  21    (VI,  253);  An 
Laura  30  (VII,  50)  ;  Spatziergang  in  Paris  47  (VI,  241). 

(b)  Of  the  earth: 

(i)  As  it  would  appear  if  viewed  from  another 
planet:  "Die  Erde  ....  die  dammernd-kleine,  die, 
sonst  verschwimmend  in  den  blauen  Hallen,  jetzt  heller 
aufglanzt" :  Das  abgeschiedene  Kind  an  seine  Mutter 
8-10  (VI,  294).  "Es  flog  an  mir  voriiber  die  Welt  in 
Nacht  und  Glanz":  Der  Becher  13-4  (VII,  144). 

(ii)  Suggestion  of  the  main  physical  aspect:  "Vor 
diesem  Glanze  (der  Erde)  fahren  auch  die  Vogel  aus 
dem  Traum":  Opfer  des  Friihlings  49  (VI,  217). 


COLORS  137 

"Griinen,  Bliihen,  Duften,  Glanzen":  Herbstgefiihl  1 
(VI,  230).  Cf.  Die  Erde  und  der  Mensch  87-8  (VI, 
303). 

(c)  Of  flowers,   etc.:  "Tief  trauert  die  Blume  im 
bleichen  Glanz":  Romanze  5  (VII,  26).    "Die  schonste 
Himmelsblume  bluhet  mit  lichtem   Glanz":   Fragmente 
No.  2,  lines  1-2  (VII,  38).    "In  seinem  Haar  den  fris- 
chen  Kranz  der  Liebe  in  verklartem  Glanz" :  Rosa  135-6 
(VII,  28).    Cf.  Widmungsgedicht  4  (VII,  107). 

(d)  In  personal  descriptions:  "Des  Auges  Glanz": 
Der  Maler  10   (VI,  175).     "Von  Licht  und  Glanz  die 
Zauberglut  dariiber  hingehaucht" :  (i.e.  iiber  die  Augen)  : 
Tandelei  7-8  (VI,  211).     "Dass  ihre  rosige  Wange  ein 
Abglanz   der   seinigen   schien":    Waldbilder    11-2    (VI, 
221).    Cf.  Zauberhain  28  (VI,  287)  ;  Oberon  spricht  35- 
6  (VII,  224);  Rosa  135-6  (VII,  28).     (Cf.  (c)  Flow- 
ers.) 

(e)  Glanz  is  often  dominant  in  descriptions  of  gems, 
metals,    crowns,    weapons,    etc. :    "Tief    in   des   Berges 
Grunde,  da  ruhte  das  Metall,  ....  taub,  ohne  Glanz 
und  Schall":   Horn  und  Flote  1-4   (VI,  261).     "(der 
Diamant)  wird  bei  tausend  Festestanzen  ....  glanzen; 
doch  keiner  ahnt,  woher  der  Glanz":  Dem  Schmerz  sein 
Recht    126-9    (VI,    287).      "Und    verleih'n    den    Dia- 
manten  neuen  Glanz":   Noch  ist  Polen  nicht  verloren 
31-2  (VII,  216).    Cf.  Der  Ring  100  (VI,  390)  ;  An  seine 
Majestat  Konig  Wilhelm  I,  etc.,  3  (VI,  412). 

(f)  Miscellaneous:  "glanzt  nicht  festlich  mein  Por- 
tal": Das  alte  Haus  45    (VI,  266).     "Das  glanzt  und 
funkelt   durch   die   Nacht":   Zum   Schiller- Jubilaum  25 
(VI,   407).      "Es   glanzt   heraus    ein   Schimmer":    Das 
Wiedersehen  56  (VII,  109).    Cf.  Hochzeit  6  (VII,  128)  ; 
Der  Wein  1  (VI,  310) ;  Flocken  81  (VII,  44). 


138       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

4.     Flamme  (flimm-,  etc.) 

Out  of  a  total  of  60  cases,  Hebbel  employs  Flamme  37 
times  in  metaphor.  The  remaining  23  instances  occur 
almost  exclusively  in  passages  descriptive  of  natural — 
predominantly  celestial — phenomena:  "Breit  beglanzt 
von  Wetterleuchtens  Flammen":  Liebeszauber  3  (VI, 
156).  "Blitz,  dies  Verflammen  im  nachtlichen  Blau": 
Proteus  23  (VI,  253).  "in  Morgenflammen" :  Der  letzte 
Baum  3  (VI,  411).  Cf.  Bei  einem  Gewitter  9  (VII, 
124);  An  eine  Romerin  12  (VI,  308).  The  following 
instances  have  no  common  chief  characteristic,  in  general 
the  literal  sense  (flame)  is  designated :  "in  die  Flammen" : 
Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  14  (VII,  82).  "In  Wasserfluten 
nicht  und  nicht  in  Flammen":  Unsere  Zeit  2  (VI,  315). 
Cf.  Der  Pocal  7  (VII,  178)  ;  Prolog  zu  Goethes  hundert- 
jahriger  Geburtsfeier  38  (VI,  298)  ;  Ein  Dithmarsischer 
Bauer  176  (VI,  160)  ;  Lied  der  Geister  26  (VII,  63). 

5.  Strahl  (strahl-) 

(52  instances;  16  in  metaphor) 

6.  Schein  (schein-) 

(38  instances;  8  in  metaphor) 

7.  Funke  (funkel-) 

(33  instances;  14  in  metaphor) 

These  three  terms  may  be  conveniently  treated  to- 
gether as  they  present  in  the  main  quite  similar  charac- 
teristics. 

(a)  Like  the  terms  of  light  already  discussed,  Strahl, 
Schein  and  Funke  are  common  in  references  to  the  heav- 
enly luminaries: 

Strahl:  "all  die  sengend-heissen  Stralen  (der  Sonne)": 


COLORS  139 

Lied  9  (VI,  151).  "ein  letzter  Stral  dem  Abendroth  ent- 
quillt":  An  Ludwig  Uhland  3  (VII,  99).  "die  stralende 
Sonne" :  Erinnerung  16  (VII,  12).  Cf.  Flocken  58  (VII, 
44)  ;  Widmungsgedicht  6  (VII,  107) ;  Auf  ein  neues 
Trinkglas  2  (VII,  118),  etc. 

Schein :  "Die  Sterne  hellten  silberrein  das  dunkle  Blau 
mit  lichtem  Schein":  Rosa  3-4  (VII,  28).  "Wolken 
diisterten  den  Schein  des  Mondes  und  der  Sternelein": 
Rosa  9-10.  "im  hellen  Mondenschein" :  Rosa  39.  Cf. 
Rosa  77-8,  107-8,  146,  163;  Einfalle  52  (VII,  54); 
Der  Tanz  12  (VII,  72)  ;  Auf  ein  altes  Madchen  23  (VI, 
207),  etc. 

Funke:  "Wie  der  Sterne  Goldgef unkel" :  An  die 
Tugend  69  (VII,  14).  "klar  funkelten  die  Sternelein": 
Rosa  164  (VII,  28).  "Alles  funkelt":  Opfer  des  Friih- 
lings  47  (VI,  217). 

(b)  All  three  terms  are  used  with  reference  to  arti- 
ficial illumination: 

Strahl:  "ziindet  .  .  .  .  ihr  Lampchen  an,  schiichtern 
.  .  .  .  bei  seinem  Strale":  Madchen  im  Kampf,  etc.,  7-9 
(VI,  232).  "bei'm  Lampenstral" :  Eine  moderne  Ballade 
27  (VII,  188).  "O  Licht,  ....  in  deinem  Strale": 
Das  Licht  will  sich  verstecken  27-9  (VII,  173). 

Schein :  "bei  der  Kohlen  Flackerschein" :  Das  Wieder- 
sehen  47  (VII,  109).  "vom  Leichlicht  kam  der  Schein": 
Licht  in  der  Nacht  12  (VII,  146).  "Leichenkerzen- 
schein":  Lebensmomente  No.  1,  line  22  (VII,  142).  Cf. 
Das  Madchen  im  Kampf,  etc.,  16  (VI,  232). 

Funke :  "Wenn  das  Lampchen  Funken  spruht" :  Virgo 
et  Mater  7  (VI,  178).  "Wenn  der  Tannenbaum  auch 
funkelt":  Bei  dem  schonen  Weihnachtsfeste  5  (VII, 
226).  "Sie  freuen  sich  der  hiipfenden  Funken":  Die 
Kirmess  33  (VI,  278).  Cf.  Er  und  ich  3  (VII,  24); 
Zum  Schiller-Jubilaum  25  (VI,  407). 


140        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(c)  Funke  is  common  as  designation  of  the  gleam 
reflected  by  gems,  metals,  goblets  of  wine:  "das  Messer, 
wie  funkelt  es  blank":  Der  Ring  17  (VI,  390).  "gewiss 
schwebt  ....  eine  Krone  ....  f unkelnd  iiber  Deinem 
Haupt" :  An  Freund  La  Roche  9-10  (VI,  417).  "Unsere 
alte  Konigskrone  ....  f  angt  von  selber  an  zu  f  unkeln" : 
Noch  ist  Polen  nicht  verloren  25-7  (VII,  216).  Cf. 
Hochzeit  14  (VII,  128)  ;  Eine  moderne  Ballade  22  (VII, 
188)  ;  Der  alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  19  (VII,  132). 

8.     Feuer 

Feiter  is  very  effective  in  its  metaphorical  employment 
as  symbolism  of  intense  emotion,  enthusiasm,  energy:60 
its  concrete  uses,  17  out  of  37  cases,  present  nothing 
striking  or  interesting: 

(a)  General:  "ein  Huss  in  wildem  Feuer":  An  die 
Tugend  13  (VII,  14).     "Durch  Feuer  und  durch  Was- 
ser":  Horn  und  Flote  21   (VI,  261).     "die  er,  wie  in 
Feuer,  trankte":  Das  Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  8  (VI, 
286).     Cf.  Vater  und  Sohn  5  (VI,  427)  ;  Antwort  auf 
das  Vorige  33-4  (VII,  84)  ;  Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  1-2, 
8,  9,  25  (VII,  82),  etc. 

(b)  The  Heavens :  "Der  Sonne  Feuer" :  Zur  Vermah- 
lung  Mohrs  27    (VII,   117).      "Dann  wirft   der  Eine 
(Titan)    seine  Feuerbrande" :  Auf  dem  Meer  27   (VI, 
251).    "zur  Feuergarbe  schwillt  der  Blitz" :  Liebeszauber 
62-3  (VI,  156). 

(c)  Miscellaneous:     "Du     konntest     leichter     einen 


60  Cf.  such  passages  as:  "durchgliiht  ihn  gottliches 
Feuer":  Sangers  Sterne  16  (VII,  238).  "Der  Satan  sah's,  und 
in  ihm  zischte  hollisch  Feuer":  Freundschaft  25  (VII,  21). 
"sein  ....  Feuerauge  blitzt":  Schon  Hedwig  3  (VI,  172). 
"Ihre  Feuerlippe !" :  Sturmabend  22  (VI,  143).  "Feuersafte" : 
Auf  ein  errothendes  junges  Madchen,  etc.,  7  (VI,  213). 


COLORS  141 

Strauss  aus  Feuerwerkers  Blumen  winden":  In  diesen 
Launen  3-4  (VII,  193). 

9.     Blinken 

Only  once  is  blinken  used  in  metaphor.  The  remain- 
ing 12  passages  in  which  blinken  occurs  are  descriptive 
of: 

(a)  Nature: 

(i)  Sky:  "Das  Licht  der  Sterne  blinkte  schwach": 
Wiedersehen  45  (VII,  134).  "dem  Blinken  des 
Sternenhimmels  gleich" :  Geburtstag  auf  der  Reise  99- 
100  (VI,  247). 

(ii)  Landscape:  "Das  ist  die  Flut!  O,  in  der  Glut, 
was  kann  so  kostlich  blinken":  Knabentod  13-5  (VI, 
147). 

(b)  Animals:  "sein  Katzchen  blink  und  blank":  Aus 
der  Kindheit  60  (VI,  194). 

(c)  Wine:  "Blinkt  in  Kristall  ein  dunkler  Wein": 
Hochzeit    18     (VII,    128).      "Feuerwein    in    goldnen 
Bechern     blinken":     Wiedersehen     10-1     (VII,     134). 
"Doch  in  dein  mystisches  Blinken":  Vor  dem  Wein  3 
(VII,  147).    Cf.  Der  Wein  1  (VI,  310). 

(d)  Metals,  gems:  "des  Rachers  Richtschwert  blin- 
ken": An  die  Unterdriickten  32  (VII,  12).  "die  Schwer- 

ter  blinken":  Des  Konigs  Tod  5  (VII,  123).    " es 

gait  dem  Edelsteine,  der  roth  am  Finger  blinkte" :  Traum 
22-3  (VII,  166). 

10.     Brennen,  Brand 

The  instances  of  brennen  (Brand,  etc.)  may  be  divided 
into  two  general  groups:  in  the  first,  14  out  of  27  in- 
stances, the  literal  sense  is  predominant  and  the  refer- 
ence is  to  burning  as  a  phenomenon  of  commonplace 
realism;  the  second  group  comprises  13  cases  and  con- 


142       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tains  the  more  imaginative  passages  where  the  sense  of 
"brennen"  verges  closely  upon  the  metaphorical: 

(a)  "brannte  hell   und  lichterloh":   Das   Lied   vom 
Schmiedt  3   (VII,  82).     "es  stirbt  der  letzte  Brand": 
Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  28.    "Die  Kinder  stecken  .... 
Papier  in  Brand":  Die  Kirmess  29-30  (VI,  278).     Cf. 
Das  Wiedersehen  28,  48  (VII,  109)  ;  Traum  51   (VII, 
166)  ;  Das  Licht  will  sich  verstecken  2  (VII,  173)  ;  Vater 
und  Sohn  46  (VI,  427). 

(b)  "Nacht,  die  in  den  Brand  gerathen":   Stanzen 
auf    ein    Sicilianisches    Schwesterpaar    50    (VI,    215). 
"Dann  wirft  der  Eine  (Titan)  seine  Feuerbrande" :  Auf 
dem  Meer  27    (VI,  251).     "Weltenbrand" :   An   Seine 
Majestat  Konig  Wilhelm  I,  etc.,  102   (VI,  412).     "der 
Farbenbrand" :  Die  Rosen  12  (VI,  229). 

11.     Schimmer  (schimmern,  glimmen) 

Schimmer  (schimmern,  etc.)  lends  itself  readily  to 
metaphorical  usage,  which  comprises  10  of  the  19  cases. 
The  term  occurs  in  allusions  to: 

(a)  Nature: 

(i)  Sky:  "des  fernsten  Sternes  Schimmer":  Mann 
und  Weib  3  (VI,  321).  "Der  Sonne  hellste  Stralen 
schimmern  d'rein":  Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna  10 
(VI,  283). 

(ii)  Seasons:  "Lenzes  Duft  und  Schimmer": 
Horaz  und  seine  Regel  22  (VII,  200). 

(b)  Animal    life:    "zwei    schimmernde    Schwane": 
Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder  3  (VI,  212). 

(c)  Artificial     light:     "Kerzen     hell     erglommen": 
Weihnachtsgabe    3     (VII,    78).      "Hell    und     festlich 
schimmerten  die  Kerzen":  Das  Abendmahl  des  Herrn  1 
(VII,  122).     "eine  Kerze  schimmert":  Die  heilige  Drei 
95  (VI,  181).    Cf.  Das  Wiedersehen  56  (VII,  109). 


COLORS  143 

(d)  In  one  figure-description:  "Ihre  Kleider  .  .  .  . 
schimmern  durch  die  Nacht":  Das  Venerabile  in  der 
Nacht  11-2  (VI,  286). 

12.     Blitz,  blitz- 

Blitz  appears  26  times  in  the  poems,  9  times  in  meta- 
phor. The  term  is  common  in  reference  to  the  ele- 
mental phenomenon  lightning,  and  also  in  a  figurative 
sense  suggestive  of  flashing,  sparkling,  etc.  Consistent 
with  our  principle  of  classification,  these  figurative  uses 
are  not  counted  as  metaphors,  since  they  are  clearly  con- 
crete and  sensuous: 

(a)  Elemental:     "Flammt     der     machtige     Blitz": 
Flocken  23  (VII,  44).     "siehst  du  die  Blitze  gliih'n?": 
Das  Kind  21  (VII,  66).     "flammt  der  Blitz  hernieder" : 
Bei  einem  Gewitter  9  (VII,  124).     "Es  schlangeln  sich 
die  Blitze":  Der  alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  2  (VII,  132). 
"Wie  Blitzesflamme  ziickte  mir's  da  durch  Mark  und 
Bein":    Der    Becher    19-20    (VII,    144).      "Roth    und 
zischend  ....  springt    ein    Blitz" :    Vater    unser    13-4 
(VI,    169).      "Und   von   rothen   Blitzen   scharf    durch- 
zogen":   Liebeszauber  4    (VI,   156).     "zur   Feuergarbe 
schwillt  der  Blitz":  Liebeszauber  62-3.     Cf.  also:  "Die 
Sonne,  einmal  noch  durch  Wolken  blitzend" :   Winter- 
Landschaft  9  (VII,  165).    "Und  wie  sie  (i.e.  der  Sonne 
Stralen)  blitzend  durch  einander  wallen":  Auf  die  Six- 
tinische  Madonna  11  (VI,  283). 

(b)  Miscellaneous:   "dies   Perlen  und  dies  Blitzen" 
(i.e.  des  Weines)  :  Die  beiden  Zecher  4  (VI,  319).    "Es 
gliiht  und   blitzt  .  .  .  .  im   alten   dunklen   Haus":   Der 
alten    Cotter   Abendmahl    15    (VII,    132).      "Und   das 
Beil  im  Nacken  blitzt" :  Vater  unser  20  (VI,  169).    "Die 
(Schwerter)   blitzen  noch  einmal  so  hell":  Des  Konigs 


144        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Tod  11  (VII,  123).  "Jenes  blitzende  Geschmeide": 
Eine  moderne  Ballade  25  (VII,  188).  "Er  (i.e.  der 
Ring)  blitzt  am  Finger,"  etc.:  Der  Ring  96  (VI,  390). 

13.  Prangen 

Prangen  appears  in  7  passages,  4  of  which  are 
metaphors.  We  submit  a  few  typical  examples:  "Den 
lieblichen  Jungfern  sei  dies  geweiht,  die  da  prangen  in 
iippiger  Herrlichkeit" :  Fur  ein  Ringreiterfest  13-4 
(VII,  4).  "Es  prangte  stolz  ein  grosser  Saal":  Wieder- 
sehen  15  (VII,  134).  "Wenn  deine  Blatter,  wie  in 
Wollust,  prangen":  Rosenleben  6  (VII,  126). 

14.  Flackern 

There  are  3  instances  of  this  term,  all  concrete:  "Das 
(Feuer)  flackert  allzusehr":  Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  8 
(VII,  82).  "Was  flackert  roth  die  Miihle":  Die 
Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  1  (VII,  90).  "Bei  der 
Kohlen  Flackerschein" :  Das  Wiedersehen  47  (VII,  109). 

15.     Kerze,  Lampe,  etc. 

Repeated  reference  is  made  to  objects  associated  with 
light  or  fire,  such  as  Kerze,  Lampe,  Fackel,  Laterne, 
Lunte.  Of  these,  Kerze  appears  13  times,  prevailingly 
with  sensuous  force :  Lampe  is  used  6  times,  always  con- 
cretely; while  2  of  the  5  cases  of  Fackel  are  metaphori- 
cal. Laterne  and  Lunte  occur  only  once  each.  We  con- 
fine our  examples  to  a  few  characteristic  passages  em- 
ploying Kerze:  "Und  loschte  die  Kerzen  aus":  Er  und 
ich  32  (VII,  24).  "Die  Kerzen  verlieren  den  hellen 
Glanz":  Der  Tanz  1  (VII,  72).  "sind  Kerzen  hell 
erglommen":  Die  Weihnachtsgabe  3  (VII,  78).  "Das 


COLORS 


145 


(Feuer)  war  im  Dunkeln  seine  Kerz'  ....  Wo  hat  er 
seine  Kerz'  ":  Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  6;  30  (VII,  82). 
"Triibes  Licht  von  triiber  Kerze,"  ....  der  Kerzen 
Flimmer":  Das  Wiedersehen  69;  88  (VII,  109).  "Wie 
Leichenkerzenschein" :  Lebensmomente  22  (VII,  142). 
"bei  heller  Kerzen  Licht":  Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht  123 
(VI,  287).  "Und  eine  Kerze  schimmert":  Die  heilige 
Drei  95  (VI,  181).  "Wer  hat  die  Kerze  in's  Dach 
gesteckt":  Vater  und  Sohn  1  (VI,  427). 


Times  and  percentage 
of  metaphor 

47—38.2% 
49-^8.5% 
20—33.3% 
37—61.6% 
16—30.7% 

8—21% 
20—54% 
14_42.4% 
13-^8.1% 

9—34.6% 
10—52.6% 

1—7.6% 

1—7.6% 

4—57.1% 

0—00% 

2-40% 

3—75% 

0—00% 

1—100% 

0—00% 

255-^0.5% 


TABLE  B 

Terms           Times  employed 

Licht  (leucht-) 

123 

Glut 

101 

Glanz 

60 

Flamme  (flimm-) 

60 

Strahl 

52 

Schein 

38 

Feuer 

37 

Funke  (funkel-) 

33 

Brenn-   (Brand) 

27 

Blitz 

26 

Schimm-  (Glimm-) 

19 

Blinken 

13 

Kerze 

13 

Prangen 

7 

Lampe 

6 

Fackel 

5 

Lodern 

4 

Flackern 

3 

Laterne 

1 

Lunte 

1 

Total 


629 


III.     GENERAL  TERMS  ASSOCIATED  WITH  COLOR  AND 
LIGHT 

We  conclude  with  a  few  illustrations  of  the  use  of 
symbols  that  may  be  grouped  together  under  the  head 
of  General  Terms  associated  with  Color  and  Light. 


146        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Prominent  among  these  are  the  terms  denoting  partial 
or  total  darkness,  such  as  finster,  duster,  dunkel,  d'dmmer, 
triib,  Schatten;  secondly,  a  variety  of  color  qualities  of 
varying  degrees  of  brightness,  from  the  hueless  blass 
and  bleich  to  the  more  or  less  luminous  blank,  bunt,  hell, 
klar,  blond,  rein,  frisch,  Farbe.  We  shall  illustrate  only 
the  more  prominent  of  these  terms  and  in  their  more 
typical  employment. 

1.     Finster.     2.     Duster 

There  are  28  allusions  to  finster,  of  which  14  occur  in 
metaphors.  Eleven  of  the  28  instances  of  duster  are 
metaphorical.  These  terms  both  impart  an  air  of  mys- 
tery and  gloom  to  pictures  of  death,  of  crime  or  vio- 
lence, of  tragic  grief ;  they  also  supply  a  suitable  "atmos- 
phere" for  scenes  in  which  the  supernatural  plays  a  part : 

(a)  Finster:  "Finstre  Walder,  voll  von  Mord  und 
Tod    und    Gift":    Waldbilder    69-70    (VI,    221).      "im 
finst'ren    Tann":    Herr    und    Knecht    10     (VI,    388). 
"tritt  aus  einem  finst'ren  Thor  ....  der  Todes-Engel" : 
Die    junge    Mutter    14-5    (VI,    179).      "Kirchhof,    wie 
standest  du  so  6d'  und  finster":  Der  Kirchhof  1-2  (VII, 
100). 

(b)  Duster:  "aus  dem  dustern  Schlund" :  Die  heilige 
Drei  138  (VI,  181).     "(die  Geister)   kehren  zuriick  in 
ihr  diistres  Gemach":  Lied  der  Geister  39   (VII,  63). 
"in  den  dustern  Wald":  Die  Kindesmorderin  20  (VII, 
68).     "Eine   Pforte,  hoch  und  duster":   Das  Kind   13 
(VII,  74). 

Hebbel  was  peculiarly  susceptible  to  the  psychic  in- 
fluence of  nightfall,  and  in  a  number  of  passages  he  has 
recorded  this  influence  and  the  thoughts  stimulated  by  it. 
"Finster"  and  "duster"  by  reason  of  their  suggestiveness, 
their  appeal  to  the  imagination  and  the  emotions,  are 


COLORS  147 

admirably  suited  to  lend  an  atmosphere  of  strange  fore- 
boding, to  suggest  that  melancholy  state  in  which  the 
soul  is  oppressed  and  appalled  by  sombre  musings : 

(a)  Finster  :61  "Die  Nebel,  sie  senken  sich  finster  und 
schwer" :  Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder  6  (VI,  212).    "Wenn 
ich  abends  einsam  gehe,  und  die   Blatter  fallen   sehe, 
Finsternisse  nieder  wallen":  Spatziergang  am  Herbsta- 
bend  1-3  (VI,  231). 

(b)  Duster:  "die  Nacht  ist  so  duster":  Die  Kindes- 
morderin  1  (VII,  68).    "die  Nacht  war  drohend  duster" : 
Traum  65    (VII,  166).     "dust're  Waldnacht":  Rauber 
und  Henker  1  (VII,  181). 

A  similar  mysterious  coloring  enters  into  the  following 
personal  descriptions: 

(a)  Finster:  "Dein  Bild  war  tief  von  Finsterniss  um- 
woben":  Auf  eine  Unbekannte  7  (VI,  206). 

(b)  Duster:  "Der  Pascha  tritt  herein  ....  ernst  und 

duster" :  Die  Odaliske  25-6  (VI,  187).    "eine  Mutter 

kalt   und    duster":    Die   Mutter   1-2    (VII,    61).      "Du 
Diist'rer":  Situation  6  (VII,  175). 

3.     Dunkel 

Dunkel  is  used  76  times  in  all,  32  of  the  cases  are  in 
metaphors.  As  with  duster  and  finster,  so  also  with 
dunkel,  Hebbel  succeeds  admirably  in  suggesting  the 
subtle  spell  produced  by  darkness  and  falling  night : 

(a)  "dunkle  Nacht":  Fin  friihes  Liebesleben  121 
(VI,  199).  "In  dieser  dunklen  Stunde  der  rings  ergoss- 
nen  Nacht":  Nachtlicher  Gruss  1-2  (VI,  227).  "Vollig 
dunkel  ist's  geworden":  Spatziergang  am  Herbstabend 


61  Goethe  defended  Finsternis  and  resented  its  association 
with  the  evil  forces  in  the  universe.  Such  association,  he  main- 
tained, is  the  habit  of  "duster-sinnlicher,  von  der  Erscheinung 
beherrschter  Geschopfe."  In  older  symbolism  Finsternis  was 


148        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

21  (VI,  231).  "Schweigend  sinkt  die  Nacht  hernieder, 
und  in  tiefster  Dunkelheit,"  etc. :  Das  Madchen  im 
Kampf  mit  sich  selbst  1-2  (VI,  232).  "Ich  ritt  einmal 
im  Dunkeln  spat  durch  ein  enges  Thai;  die  Nacht  war 
still,"  etc.:  Memento  Vivere  1-3  (VI,  269).  Cf.  Das 
Kind  1-2  (VII,  66)  ;  Licht  in  der  Nacht  1-2  (VII,  146) ; 
Er  und  ich  1-2  (VII,  24)  ;  Das  Wiedersehen  26,  53 
(VII,  109). 

(b)  Other  phases  of  nature:   "eine  dunkle  Reben- 
laube":  Die  Spanierin  21  (VI,  176).    "Waldes-Dunkel" : 
Stillstes    Leben    6    (VII,    140).      "am    dunklern   Ort": 
Voriiber  7  (VI,  417).    "die  dunkle  Wiiste":  Heimkehr 
1  (VII,  155).    "als  sie  .  .  .  .  sich  auf  die  dunkle  Erde 
niederneigte" :  Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna  6-7   (VI, 
283).     Cf.  Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder  1-2  (VI,  212); 
Kains  Klage  15  (VII,  10)  ;  Meeresleuchten  1  (VI,  282), 
etc. 

(c)  In  a  few  personal   descriptions  dunkel  is  em- 
ployed as  a  quality  of  hair,  eyes,  general  complexion: 
"aus  dem  dunklen   Haar":   Sturmabend   5    (VI,   143). 
"dunkles    Feuerauge":    Schon    Hedwig    3    (VI,    172). 
"unter  dunkler  Braue,"  etc.:  Die  Odaliske  3  (VI,  187). 
Cf.    Der    Princess    Marie    Wittgenstein    1    (VI,   403) ; 
Todes-Tiicke  10  (VII,  76). 

(d)  Miscellaneous:  "Schickt'  ich  ihm  den  dunklen 
Trank":   Die    Spanierin   58    (VI,   176).     "ein   dunkler 
Wein":  Hochzeit  18  (VII,  128).    "aus  dunklem  Taber- 
nakel":  Der  Jude  an  den  Christen  17  (VII,  161).     Cf. 
Vor  dem  Wein  1  (VII,  147)  ;  Der  Ring  92  (VI,  390)  ; 
Das  Kind  36  (VII,  74). 


represented  as  the  source  of  the  various  shades  of  light,  fire  and 
color,  according  to  J.  A.  Kanne  (1773-1824),  professor  of  Orien- 
tal languages  in  Erlangen.  See  Goethe's  Farbenlehre,  in 
Kiirschners  National-Litteratur,  vol.  117,  part  2,  p.  286,  under 
the  heading  Symbolik.  Anthropomorphismus  der  Sprache. 


COLORS  149 

4.     Schatten  (schatt-) 

Schatten  occurs  22  times  in  the  soiigs,  7  times  with 
metaphorical  effect.  We  may  classify  the  allusions  as 
follows : 

(a)  Ghostly   apparitions:   "Seine    Schatten   seh'   ich 
wanken  ....  seinen    Schatten    seh'    ich    schwanken": 
Kains  Klage  10-2  (VII,  10).     "ein  Wesen  so  bleich,  als 
war'  es  entstiegen  dem  Schattenreich" :  Der  Ring  15-6 
(VII,  59).     "die  Schattengestalt  folgt  ihm,"  etc.:  Der 
Ring  36.     "Dort  droht  ein  Schatten  herauf  .  ".  .  .  Wem 
droht  der  Schatten?":  Vater  und  Sohn  24;  27  (VI,  427). 

(b)  Nature:  "Setze  dich  im  Schatten  seiner  Baume 
hin":  Der  Quell  29-30  (VII,  16).     "schattige  Maine": 
Der   arme    Vogel   3    (VII,   80).      "Mit   dem    Schatten, 
mit    dem    Duft":    Das    Wiedersehen    11    (VII,    109). 
"steigst    Du    hinab    in    nachtumschatteten    Abgrund" : 
Der  Taucher  1  (VII,  240).    "Der  Baum,  der  ....  ihn 
beschattet":    Liebesgeheimniss    12    (VII,    145).      "von 
Schatten  geschreckt,  die  tanzen  auf  Wegen  und  Stegen" : 
Der  Ring  74-5  (VI,  390).    "Sie  (i.e.  die  Walder)  alle 
bieten  Schatten" :  Ein  Wald  9  (VI,  397). 

(c)  In  connection  with  personal  descriptions:  "Jetzt 
war's  ein  Schatten,  irr  und  bleich,"  Rosa  21  (VII,  28). 
"Siisser  Traume  lichte   Schatten  fliegen  uber  sein  Ge- 
sicht":  Waldbilder  95-6  (VI,  221). 

5.     Dammer- 

Ddmmer-  appears  in  22  passages,  in  12  of  which  it  has 
metaphorical  application.  As  darkness  and  night  fasci- 
nated Hebbel  by  reason  of  their  summons  to  the  more 
austere  moods  of  the  soul,  so  the  beauty  of  the  dusk  and 
the  soft  colors  of  evening  inspired  sentiments  of  peculiar 
tenderness.  The  sonnet  An  Ludwig  Uhland  (VII,  99) 


150       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

pays  a  tribute  to  the  magical  touch  of  dusk  and  compares 
with  this  the  transforming  and  bewitching  powers  of 
Uhland's  poetic  art.62 

We  cannot  avoid  briefly  noting  a  few  of  Hebbel's 
beautiful  metaphors  in  which  twilight  is  made  to  suggest 
dim  half -forgotten  forms,  or  half-realized,  semi-con- 
scious states,  in  which  the  soul  seems  to  waver  in  deli- 
cious indecision  on  the  borderline  of  joy  and  pain,  dark- 
ness and  dawn:  "an  diesen  mystisch-tiefen  Ziigen,  die 
auch  in  dir  schon  dammern":  Stanzen  auf  ein  Sicilian- 
isches  Schwesterpaar  19-20  (VI,  215).  "Jungfrau- 
bilder,  frtih'  erblichen  ....  Dammernd-schwebende 
Gestalten":  Letzter  Gruss  1-3  (VI,  214).  "des  Dichters 
dammernde  Gestalten":  An  Christine  Engehausen  1 
(VI,  313).  "Was  ich  in  den  fernsten  Stunden,  oft  nur 
halb  bewusst,  empfunden,  dammert  auf  in  Seel'  und 
Sinnen":  Spatziergang  am  Herbstabend  9-11  (VI,  231). 
"Tiefes  Verdammern  des  Seins,  denkend  nichts,  noch 
empfindend !" :  An  den  Tod  5-6  (VI,  266).  Cf.  An  eine 
edle  Liebende  1  (VI,  317);  Das  Heiligste  9-11  (VI, 
322). 

As  sensuous  term,  ddmmer-  occurs  in  the  following 
passages : 

(a)  Atmospheric  phenomena:  "Die  Dammerung  war 
langst  hereingebrochen" :  Auf  eine  Unbekannte  1    (VI, 
206).     "Der  Tag  ist  voriiber,  es  dammert  die  Nacht": 
Sie  seh'n  sich  nicht  wieder  24   (VI,  212).     "in  einer 
Dammerstunde" :   Das   Griechische   Madchen    17    (VII, 
137).     "Es  dammerte,  die  schone  Welt  verier  sich  mit 
dem  Tag":  Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  61  (VI,  241). 

(b)  Miscellaneous:    "Du    hattest    heiss    das    Dam- 
mernde    (i.e.    Traumbild)     umschlossen !" :     Die    Ver- 
schmahte   11    (VI,   319).     "das   Licht,    das   durch   die 

«2  Cf .  p.  85  above. 


COLORS  151 

Ritzen  dammernd  fallt":  Noch  ist  Polen  nicht  verloren 
141-2  (VII,  216). 

6.     Triib63 

Triib  occurs  prevailingly  in  metaphors,  which  aggre- 
gate 13  out  of  18  instances.  The  5  instances  of  sensuous 
employment  occur  in  passages  descriptive  of  the  heavens 
or  the  heavenly  bodies:  "Den  Abend  triiben  Wolken": 
Zum  Licht  10  (VII,  3).  "Der  Himmel  wird  truber  und 
triiber":  Rosa  7  (VII,  28).  "dieses  Licht,  das  einem 
triiben  Sterne  entfliesst":  Eine  Mondnacht  in  Rom  5-6 
(VI,  309).  "Aber  allzu  bald  nur  triibte  uns  der  heitre 
Himmel  sich":  Schau'  ich  in  die  tiefste  Ferae  41-2  (VI, 
408). 

7.     Blass.     8.     Bleich 

Only  1  of  the  22  instances  of  blass  is  a  metaphor. 
Bleich  is  used  49  times,  including  5  times  in  a  meta- 
phorical sense.  The  allusions  to  blass  and  bleich  may  be 
treated  together: 

(a)  They  both  occur  most  commonly  in  personal 
descriptions,  usually  as  physical  concomitants  of  emo- 
tion: 

(i)  Blass:  "im  blassen  Angesichte":  Liebeszauber 
28  (VI,  156).  "er  sinkt  blass  zuriick":  Die  Polen 
sollen  leben  34-5  (VI,  170).  "wie  es  still  erblasste": 
Die  junge  Mutter  9  (VI,  179).  Cf.  Stanzen  auf  ein 


63  Goethe's  Farbenlehre  has  an  extremely  interesting  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject  Der  Ausdruck  Triib.  (Kiirschners  Nat. 
Litt.,  vol.  117,  part  2,  p.  288).  For  Goethe,  triib  is  the  first  per- 
ceptible blurring  of  the  transparent,  the  first  step  in  the  transi- 
tion from  incorporeal  to  corporeal,  "der  erste  Ansatz  zu  einem 
Korperlichen."  Hence  it  is  the  most  delicate  form  of  matter 
conceivable,  "die  erste  Lamelle  der  Korperlichkeit."  "Der 
Geist,  der  erscheinen  will,  webt  sich  eine  zarte  Triibe."  In  the 
imagination  of  all  peoples,  spirits  appear  enveloped  in  a  murky, 
mist-like  garb. 


152        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Sicilianiches  Schwesterpaar  24  (VI,  215) ;  Waldbilder 
107  (VI,  221);  Geburtsnacht-Traum  61  (VI,  255); 
Doppelter  Krieg  8  (VI,  313)  ;  Der  Ring  59  (VII,  59). 

(ii)  Bleich:  "da  ward  ihre  Wange  bleich" :  Der 
Maler  12  (VI,  175).  "fast  zum  Schnee  erbleichend" : 
Liebeszauber  73  (VI,  156).  "die  Rosen  treffen  dich 
schon  bleich":  Ein  f nines  Liebesleben  63  (VI,  199). 
Cf.  Waldbilder  123-4  (VI,  221)  ;  Geburtsnacht-Traum 
30  (VI,  255)  ;  Der  Ring  70  (VI,  390)  ;  Der  Tod  kennt 
den  Weg  49-50,  63  (VI,  394)  ;  Rosa  21  (VII,  28),  etc. 
(bl)  Bleich  appears,  moreover,  in  a  limited  number 
of  nature  pictures : 

(i)  The  heavens:  "Der  Mond  begann  die  bleiche 
Bahn":  Rosa  2  (VII,  28).  "bleich  huschten  am 
Himmel  die  Sterne" :  Rosa  131.  "Der  Mond  geht  auf , 
er  ist  so  bleich":  Kindesmorderin  13  (VII,  68).  Cf. 
Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna  14-6  (VI,  283). 

(ii)  Flowers:  "ob  sie  (i.e.  die  Rose)  auch  so  bleich 
ist,  wie  der  Tod":  Meiner  Tochter  Christine,  etc.,  15 
(VI,  423).  "die  Blumchen  sind  verblichen":  Er  und 
ich  5  (VII,  24).  "Tief  trauert  die  Blume  im  bleichen 
Glanz":  Romanze  5  (VII,  26).  "bleiche  Rose": 
Romanze  30. 

(b2)  Blass  occurs  but  once  in  reference  to  flowers, 
and  once  in  personal  description: 

(i)  "die  Blumen  ....  sind  blass  hier,  wie  der 
Tod":  Waldbilder  49-50  (VI,  221). 

(ii)  "Mit  dem  Christusbild,  dem  blassen":  Das 
Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  22  (VI,  286). 

9.     Blank 

Blank  appears  in  no  metaphors,  although  employed 
altogether  16  times.  It  occurs  only  twice  in  personal 
descriptions,  is  rare  in  nature  pictures  and  appears  pre- 


COLORS  153 

vailingly  in  passages  designating  the  flashing  or  gleam- 
ing of  certain  instruments,  weapons  and  utensils:  "Er 
hebt  das  Messer,  wie  funkelt  es  blank" :  Der  Ring  17 
(VI,  390).  "das  reine  blanke  Schwert":  Die  Schlacht 
bei  Hemmingstedt  97  (VII,  90).  "die  heiligen  Ge- 
schirre,  die  glanzen  blank  und  klar" :  Der  alten  Gotter 
Abendmahl  18  (VII,  132).  "Topfe,  Schiisseln,  blanke 
Kessel":  Das  Wiedersehen  45  (VII,  109).  "blankes 
Schwert":  An  Deutschland  3  (VII,  201). 

10.     Hell 

The  instances  of  hell  aggregate  45,  of  which  13  are 
metaphors.  Hell  almost  never  occurs  alone,  it  is  inva- 
riably employed  as  a  strengthening  and  intensifying  ad- 
junct in  connection  with  other  terms  expressive  of  light 
and  color: 

(a)  The    heavens:     "Wirft    hell    der    Mond    den 
Schein":  Die  Polen  sollen  leben  18    (VI,   170).     "bei 
hellem  Mondenschein" :  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben  73  (VI, 
199).     "hell  bescheint's  der  Mond":  Ein  friihes  Liebes- 
leben 78.     "die  Sterne  hellten  silberrein" :  Rosa  3  (VII, 
28),  also  39 ;  162.    Cf.  Lustig  tritt,  etc.,  45  (VI,  437)  ;  Der 
Knabe  3-4  (VII,  116)  ;  Auf  dem  Kirchhof  1  (VII,  146). 

(b)  In    personal    descriptions:    "Ihr    blaues    Auge, 
frisch  und  hell":  Schon  Hedwig  13   (VI,  172).     "Klar 
und  hell,  darin  (i.e.  in  der  Thrane)  mein  eig'nes  Bild" : 
Tandelei  3-4   (VI,  211).     "du  machst  ....  das  trube 
Aug'  mir  helle!"  Morgen  und  Abend  3-4  (VI,  264).    Cf. 
Still  und  heimlich  20  (VII,  163)  ;  Rosa  42  (VII,  28). 

(c)  Artificial     light:      "hell  ....  die     Feuertonne 
flammt":   Ein  Dithmarsischer  Bauer   175-6    (VI,   160). 
"bei  heller  Kerzen  Licht" :  Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht  123 
(VI,  287).     "die  Kerzen  verlieren  den  hellen  Glanz": 
Der  Tanz  1  (VII,  72).     Cf.  Das  Lied  vom  Schmiedt  3 


154       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(VII,  82)  ;  Eine  moderne  Ballade  1   (VII,  188)  ;  Das 
Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  31  (VI,  286). 

(d)  Miscellaneous:  "du  blinkst  so  hell  und  glanzend 
aus  dem  Becher":  Der  Wein  1  (VI,  310).  "sein  Was- 
ser  .  .  .  .  rein  und  silberhell":  Der  Quell  15-6  (VII, 
16).  "Die  Erde  ....  die  ....  jetzt  heller  auf- 
glanzt":  Das  abgeschiedene  Kind,  etc.,  8-10  (VI,  294). 

11.     Frisch.     12.     Klar 

Both  frisch  and  klar  are  frequently  employed  by  Heb- 
bel — generally  in  combination  with  other  color  terms — 
with  a  distinct  implication  of  lustre.  There  are  7  in- 
stances of  frisch,  2  of  them  metaphors.  A  few  examples 
will  suffice  for  this  term : 

"Ihr  blaues  Auge,  frisch  und  hell" :  Schon  Hedwig  13 
(VI,  172).  "das  frische  Laub":  Der  Zauberhain  4  (VI, 
387).  "Wie  einen  frischen  Blumenstrauss" :  Gene- 
sungsgefuhl  20  (VII,  172).  "dich  aufgenommen  als 
frischen  Schmuck,"  etc. :  An  eine  Romerin  7-8  (VI,  308). 

Of  klar,  20  instances  were  noted,  6  of  these  may  be 
regarded  as  metaphors.  The  following  passages  illus- 
trate the  more  striking  sensuous  cases : 

(a)  Nature:  "Der  klarste  Morgenstral" :  Schon  Hed- 
wig 10  (VI,  172).     "Sah  ich  je  ein  Blau,  wie  droben, 
klar  und  voll,"  etc.:  Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings  1-2  (VI, 
217).     "hell  und  klar  wie  immer,  blickt  die   Sonne": 
Diocletian  2-3  (VI,  429).    "Und  Weste  umsauseln  sie  lau 
und  klar":  Das  Kind  25  (VII,  66).    "der  klare  Aether": 
Hamburg  6  (VII,  222). 

(b)  Persons:  "Und  lieblich  sah  ich,  hell  und  klar, 
mein  eig'nes  Bild":  Tandelei  3-4  (VI,  211).    "Und  per- 
lenklar    und     rein     trat     eine     Thrane  ....  hinein": 
Tandelei  11-2.     "Ihr  blaues  Auge  ist  nicht  mehr  klar": 
Romanze  24  (VII,  26). 


COLORS  155 

(c)  Miscellaneous :  "Mit  klarem,  siissem  Wein" :  Den 
Glaubensstreitern  8  (VII,  65).  "klar  und  rein  blinkt 
in  Kristall  ein  dunkler  Wein":  Hochzeit  17-8  (VII,  128). 
"Die  heiligen  Geschirre,  die  glanzen  blank  und  klar": 
Der  alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  18  (VII,  132). 

13.     Rein 

In  collecting  the  passages  containing  rein,  we  have 
noted  only  such  instances  of  the  term  as  have  an  unmis- 
takable reference  to  color  or  light.  There  are  12  of  such 
cases,  including  3  metaphors: 

(a)  Nature:    "sein    Wasser  ....  rein   und   silber- 
hell":  Der  Quell  15-6  (VII,  16).     "Die  Sterne  hellten 
silberrein" :  Rosa  3  (VII,  28).    "Der  Mond  schien  wieder 
licht  und  rein":  Rosa  163.     "Und  aus  all  den  Finster- 
nissen  trat  die  Sonne,  voll  und  rein" :  Still  und  heimlich 
10-1  (VII,  163).     "des  Aethers  reinste  Tropfen":  Auf 
die   Sixtinische  Madonna  9    (VI,  283).     "die  reinsten 
Fluten  aus  dem  ersten  Wasser":   Die  Liebhaber  11-2 
(VII,  101). 

(b)  Miscellaneous:  "Du  funkelst  rein  und  spiegel- 
blank":  Auf  ein  neues  Trinkglas  1   (VII,  118).     "Die 
Schwerter  blinken  klar  und  rein":  Des  Konigs  Tod  5 
(VII,  123).    "klar  und  rein  blinkt  in  Kristall  ein  dunkler 
Wein":  Hochzeit  17-8  (VII,  128).    "Und  perlenklar  und 
rein    trat    eine    Thrane  ....  hinein":    Tandelei    10-2 
(VI,  211). 

14.     Farbe  (farbig-,  farb-) 

In  15  passages  the  term  Farbe  or  one  of  its  derivatives 
is  employed,  usually  to  suggest  in  a  general  way  the  pres- 
ence of  color,  thus  leaving  to  the  imagination  any  further 
refinement  into  specific  hues.  The  term  is  used  meta- 


156        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

phorically  4  times ;  the  characteristic  cases  admit  of  only 
rough  classification: 

(a)  Flowers:  "Im  Kelche  der  Blume,  im  farbigen": 
Proteus  25   (VI,  253).     "Und  wenn  das  Leben  .... 
zuweilen  eine  Bliite  trieb,  so  war  sie  f arbig" :  Alte  Wid- 
mung  dieser  Gedichte  13-5    (VI,  274).     "Die  Glocken 
....  die  ....  in  Farben  sich  entziinden" :  Ein  f  nines 
Liebesleben  51-4  (VI,  199). 

(b)  Miscellaneous:  "In   eine   wunderbare   Flut   von 
Farben,"  etc.:  Tandelei  5-6  (VI,  211).    "In  aller  Far- 
ben Glut":  Vollendung  3   (VI,  311).     "alle  Farben  zu 
erhoh'n":   Das  Opfer   des    Fruhlings   41-2    (VI,   217). 
"keiner  ....  der  seinen  Pinsel  bloss  in  Farben  tunkt" : 
Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna  19-20  (VI,  283). 

(c)  To  some  extent  in  the  very  last  example,  and 
certainly  in  the  following  passages,  a  more  definite  shade 
is  designated: 

"Entfarbt  war  Lipp*  und  Wange":  Wiedersehen  28 
(VII,  134).  "Die  ....  Lippen  sich  entfarben": 
Traum  3  (VII,  166).  "Doch  endlich  wird  mein  Blut 
die  Erde  farben":  Mein  Paan  11  (VI,  316).  "Jedwedes 
Angesicht  ....  dunkel  oder  licht,  wie  sie  die  Zone 
farbte":  Diocletian  43-5  (VI,  429). 


Terms 

dunkel 

bleich 

hell 

duster 

finster 

Schatten 

blass 

damtner- 

klar 

triib 

bunt 

blank 

Farbe 

rein 

frisch 

blond 

Total 


COLORS 
TABLE  C64 

1J 

Times  employed    Times  and  percentage 

of  metaphor 

76 

32^12.1% 

49 

5—10.2% 

45 

13—28.8% 

28 

11—39.2% 

28 

14—50% 

22 

7—31.8% 

22 

1—4.5% 

22 

12—54.5% 

20 

6—30% 

18 

13—72.2% 

17 

6—35.2% 

16 

0—00% 

IS 

4—26.6% 

12 

3—25% 

7 

2—28.5% 

6 

0—00% 

.  403 


129—32.1% 


Unclassified  Terms  Suggestive  of  Color  or  Light 

It  is  worth  while  noting  in  conclusion  a  few  isolated 
terms  more  or  less  suggestive  of  color  that  do  not  prop- 
erly belong  to  any  of  the  foregoing  classes : 

"Da  lag  auf  schneeigem  Bette  ein  Roschen  zart  und 
fein":  Er  und  ich  21  (VII,  24).  "Das  Magdlein 
tritt  in  seine  (i.e.  des  Waldes)  Nacht":  Ein  Wald  36 
(VI,  397).  "Ein  heiterer  Stern":  Sehnsucht  6  (VII,  9). 
"Es  (i.e.  das  Bild)  strait  so  heiter,"  etc.:  Sehnsucht  13. 
"Aus  des  Himmels  heiteren  Hohen":  Sangers  Sterne  8 
(VII,  238). 

The  3  instances  of  heiter  are  essentially  sensuous  and 
concrete  although  employed  in  extended  metaphors  ex- 
pressive of  abstractions. 


64  The  terms  are  arranged  here  in  the  order  of  their  fre- 
quency, without  regard  to  the  order  of  their  presentation  above, 
pp.  145-56. 


158       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

The  following  table  contains  the  figures  for  schneeig, 
Nacht  and  heiter,  together  with  other  terms  not  suffi- 
ciently important  to  warrant  specific  illustration.  The 
terms  loschen  and  ztinden  occur  for  the  most  part  in  con- 
nection with  allusions  to  Feuer,  Licht,  Lampe,  Kerze, 
etc.;  and  specimens  of  their  employment  may  be  found 
under  the  illustrations  of  the  latter  terms. 


Terms 

loschen     . 

ziinden 

heiter 

Nacht65    . 

schiiren 

entfachen 

schneeig 

Regenbogen 

Total 


TABLE  D 

Times  employed    Times  and  percentage 
of  metaphor 


11 
8 
4 
3 
1 
1 
1 
1 

30 


3—27.2% 

5—62.5% 

0-00% 

2—66.6% 

1—100% 

1—100% 

0—00% 

0—00% 

12—40% 


65  Account  is  taken  here  of  Nacht  only  when  the  term  is 
used  with  distinct  implication  of  light  or  color,  as  in  the  illus- 
tration above. 


CHAPTER  IV 
SOUNDS 

There  is  a  general  tendency  to  regard  poetry's  rela- 
tions with  physical  sound  as  anomalous  and  therefore  to 
discriminate  sharply  between  poetry  when  silently  read 
on  the  one  hand  and  when  rendered  with  suitable  ora- 
torical effect  on  the  other.  Words  upon  a  printed  page 
as  they  strike  the  eye  convey  no  direct  tonal  impression ; 
but  when  audibly  pronounced,  the  same  words  possess 
positive  materiality.  The  poet's  inner  visions  have  thus 
the  advantage  of  communication  through  vocal  sounds, 
a  physical  medium  analogous  in  one  of  its  elements  with 
the  tones  of  music  or  the  colors  of  painting.  Sound 
groups  and  rhyme  effects,  reinforced  by  the  resources  of 
metrical  arrangement,  equip  the  poet  with  potent  mate- 
rials that  appear  to  be  organically  associated  with  activi- 
ties of  body  and  of  mind,  intrinsically  suggestive  of 
motion  or  of  rest,  of  precipitation  or  of  recoil,  of  serene 
calm  or  of  passionate  agitation.  In  the  media  of  his  art 
the  accomplished  poet-artist  commands  the  rich  expres- 
sional  potentialities  of  human  vocal  sounds  and,  in  addi- 
tion, the  elemental  noises  of  nature — these  through  repro- 
ductions largely  imitative.  So  that  poetry's  mental 
objectivity — Phantasieanschaulichkeit — is  further  aug- 
mented by  material  objectivity — V ' erleiblichung — as  sub- 
stantial if  not  as  refined  as  that  of  the  other  fine  arts.1 
The  diction  of  a  Tennyson  or  a  Swinburne  "observes 
subtle  relations  of  sound  as  in  a  musical  instrument."2 


i  Cf.  Volkelt,  Syst.  d.  Aesth.,  I,  p.  86. 
2Genung,  The  Working  Principles  of   Rhetoric,   Boston, 
1901,  p.  153. 


160        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

For  the  musical  ear,  "despair  and  sweet  resignation"  are 
intoned  in  Tennyson's  "Tears,  idle  tears,  I  know  not 
what  they  mean."3  Within  their  limited  physical  sphere, 
poetry's  sounds  essay  and  partly  achieve  auditory  im- 
pressions analogous  with  those  richer  tone  effects  that 
music  can  produce  through  its  more  elaborate  system  of 
sound  values. 

This  musical  side  of  poetry's  auditory  media  receives 
but  scant  attention  in  the  following  discussion  of  Heb- 
bel's  sound  factors, — not  however  from  a  disposition  to 
minimize  the  emotional  importance  of  words  as  pure 
sounds.  Tennyson's  fondness  for  words  like  "far,  far 
away"  is  a  good  illustrative  instance  of  the  sensuous 
pleasure  derived  from  musical  words  by  sensitive 
natures.4  The  theory  early  haunted  Hebbel — as  it  has 
other  poets — that  there  exists  an  affinity  between  certain 
thoughts  and  verbal  sounds,  and  that  rhyme's  signifi- 
cance and  effectiveness  must  be  ascribed  to  this  affinity.5 
But  this  physical  property  of  poetry  runs  small  risk  of 
being  slighted  in  literary  appreciations.  Furthermore, 
this  property  is  not  of  high  importance  in  all  verse. 
Hebbel's  best  lyrics,  surely,  do  not  owe  their  impressive- 
ness  to  their  audible  music.  Far  from  indifferent  to  the 
euphonic  element  in  poetry — the  infinite  labor  expended 
upon  the  melody  of  Opfer  des  Friihlings,  and  the  endur- 
ing fondness  that  he  cherished  for  this  poem  may  be 
mentioned  as  evidence  in  passing — Hebbel  yet  inclined 
to  the  belief  that  such  external  euphony  is  properly  but 
a  minor  expressional  adjunct.  Mature  reflection  upon 
human  speech  and  the  musical  element  in  verbal  sound 


8  Emile  Faguet :  Tennyson,  Quarterly  Review,  Apr.,  1909, 
p.  305. 

4  Emile  Faguet,  in  above  cited  article. 
»Tgb.  I,  1146,  May  1,  1838. 


SOUNDS  161 

convinced  him  that  chief  importance  is  to  be  attached  to 
the  inner  elaborations,  to  the  spiritual  auditions  rather 
than  to  the  coarser  vibrations  that  strike  the  ear.6  The 
difficulties  that  beset  translation  seemed  to  him  to  result 
from  discrepancies  in  the  ideations  evoked  by  correspond- 
ing linguistic  symbols  in  different  languages.7  No  one 
appreciated  more  than  he  the  "spontaneous  answer  of 
sound  to  sense,"  which  is  a  universal  element  of  poetic 
beauty.8  Yet  he  clearly  considered  that  physical  sounds 
as  music  employs  them  are  not  the  same  with  musical 
sounds  as  an  element  of  poetry.9  Its  very  sensuous 
opulence  peculiarly  exposes  music  to  the  danger  of  cater- 
ing to  sense,  while  poetry  with  its  limited  tone  effects  is 
less  tempted  to  seek  favor  through  pleasing  sounds.  This 
apparent  limitation  is  in  reality  poetry's  source  of 


6  "Die  Sprachen  nach  dem  Wohlklang  zu  beurtheilen,  ist 
eine  Unangemessenheit,  die  darum  nicht  aufhort,  eine  zu  seyn, 
weil  sich  ganze  Nationen  statt  einzelner  Individuen  sie  zu  Schul- 
den  kommen  lassen.     Die   Sprache  ist  allerdings   die  sinnliche 
Erscheinung  des  Geistes,  aber  das  Sinnliche  dieser  Erscheinung 
liegt  in  der  Gedanken-Abbildung  durch  das  Spiel  mannigfaltiger 
Laute    an    sich,    in    der    Fixirung    des    geistigen    Sich-Selbst- 
Entbindens  durch  ein  korperliches  Medium,"  etc.    Tgb.  Ill,  3665, 
Sept.  4,  1846.    Also  Tgb.  II,  2026. 

7  Tgb.  Ill,  4632. 

8Genung,  The  Working  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  p.  39. 
Cf.  Hebbel's  enthusiastic  admiration  for  J.  Mosen's  "Der  Trom- 
peter  an  der  Katzbach,"  which  he  copies  in  full  into  his  diary, 
appending  after  the  last  verse :  "Dies  Gedicht  ist  unverganglich !" 
Undoubtedly  Hebbel  was  impressed  chiefly  by  the  appealing 
human  theme  of  this  poem  and  the  intensely  dramatic  episode 
in  which  the  theme  is  embodied.  But  he  was  doubtless  also 
captivated  by  the  plasticity,  the  concreteness  of  it.  Notable 
among  this  poem's  concrete  effects  are  the  musical  and  vocal 
sounds :  "Victoria,  so  klang  es,  Victoria  iiberall,"  etc.,  Tgb.  I, 
1758,  Oct.  28,  1839. 

9  "Konnte  selbst  eine  Sprache  mit  der  Musik  ringen,  was 
keine  kann,  so  wiirde  es  noch  kein  Grund  seyn,  ihr  deswegen 
einen  besonderen  Vorzug  zuzusprechen,  ....  und  eine  musi- 
calische  Sprache,  wie  eine  geistreiche  Musik  wtirden,  wenn  sie 
namlich  nur  das  und  nicht  zugleich  noch  etwas  Anderes  waren, 
Beide  ihren  Zweck  verfehlen."  Tgb.  Ill,  3665,  Sept.  4,  1846. 


162        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

strength.  Less  captivated  by  outer  allurements  we  may 
better  attend  to  the  inner  music,  more  perfectly  inter- 
pret and  reproduce  the  emotional  situation  in  which  that 
music  was  born.  That  we  are  predisposed  to  such  inner 
music  largely  through  poetry's  verbal  sound  effects  can- 
not be  questioned.  It  would  seem  equally  unquestion- 
able that  the  ultimate  sound  effects  at  which  great  poetry 
aims  are  ideations;  that  the  function  of  sheer  audible 
vibration  is  auxiliary  to  an  inner  audition,  which,  like  all 
other  sense  qualities  that  enter  into  poetry,  is  essentially 
a  mental  and  not  a  corporeal  constituent.  Herein  would 
seem  to  reside  poetry's  chance  of  highest  artistic  achieve- 
ment. If  music  is  with  justice  considered  the  "perfect 
art"  because  here  matter  and  medium,  object  and  symbol 
are  identical,  then  poetry's  hope  of  perfection  will  be 
realized  in  proportion  as  intuition  and  expression  become 
merged  in  some  finer  medium  apprehended  by  the  mind. 
To  advert  overmuch  to  the  auditory  sensations  tends 
away  from  such  merging  of  matter  and  medium  by 
sharpening  the  distinction  between  words  as  musical 
tones  and  as  ideal  symbols.  To  lay  chief  stress  upon 
the  inner  auditions  largely  eliminates  the  distinction 
between  poetry  when  read  in  silence  and  when  read 
aloud.  This  inner  music  is  not  for  the  ear;  its  harmo- 
nies, though  immanent  in  the  words,  spring  at  last  from 
"subtle  adjustments  of  their  elementary  sounds  and  the 
images  and  moods  that  they  convey." 

Perhaps  the  most  valuable  part  of  Shelley's  "Defence 
of  Poetry"  deals  with  this  very  relation  of  sounds  to 
thought  in  human  speech.  Shelley,  too,  supposes  a  primi- 
tive connection  between  vocal  sounds  and  their  psychic 
correlates;  not  a  preexistent  union  miraculously  divined, 
however,  but  an  arbitrary  adjustment,  imperiously 
decreed.  And  this  adjustment  has  not  been  made  once 


SOUNDS  163 

for  all  in  some  bygone  poetic  age  of  the  race,  it  is  made 
to  a  degree  in  each  individual  case  of  poetic  creation. 
Wagner's  Motive  are  joined  in  our  thoughts  with  an 
incident  or  a  passion  or  a  personality  because  the  com- 
poser has  willed  that  union  and  our  receptive  sympathy 
accepts  it.  In  poetry  such  conjunctions  are  of  incom- 
parably greater  variety  and  delicacy  just  because  the 
gross  tone  material  is  there  so  completely  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  inner  elaboration.  We  might  then  justly  say, 
not  the  tones  themselves  but  their  inner  associations  most 
impress  us.  Were  this  not  so,  our  thoughts  would  be 
dragged  from  their  free  heights  by  inexorable  earthly 
connections.  In  reality  the  essence  of  our  thought's  free- 
dom consists  in  its  power  of  raising  gross  sense  elements 
to  sensuous  ideality.  This  is  illustrated  in  truly  inspired 
translation, — which  Shelley  too  summarily  discredits. 
How  else  can  we  account  for  the  aesthetic  effect  of  the 
more  poetic  portions  of  the  Bible,  in  the  original  and 
in  translations;  for  the  universally  conceded  rhythm 
and  music  of  its  grander  passages?  Does  this  not  indi- 
cate a  sort  of  spiritualization  whereby  the  gross  physical 
sounds  are  transfigured,  raised  to  ideal  tonality  through 
the  inner  responses  with  which  they  are  wedded? 

Here  the  contention  may  be  raised  that  the  foregoing 
considerations  have  no  bearing  upon  the  poetic  efficacy 
of  audible  sound  in  one  of  its  most  important  connec- 
tions, namely,  the  motor  effects  involved  in  actual  audi- 
tion. Audible  sounds  are  often  attended  by  certain  char- 
acteristic bodily  disturbances.  When  thus  attended, 
audition  affects  us  with  redoubled  intensity.  That  this 
motor  element  is  produced  with  equal  intensity  by  silent 
reading  is  doubtful.  But  when  poetry  is  read  aloud, 
when  a  cry  or  a  command,  or  a  soothing  murmur  is 
actually  enunciated,  the  total  impression  is  intensified  by 


164       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

the  accompanying  vital  sensations.  These  undoubtedly 
exert  far-reaching  influence  under  favorable  circum- 
stances, but  the  sphere  of  their  operation  is  much  limited 
when  conditions  are  unfavorable.  To  get  these  motor 
aids,  there  must  be  effectual  rendition  of  the  vocal 
sounds.  How  seldom  are  conditions  favorable  for  such 
rendition,  however.  How  often  the  reader  by  reason  of 
deficiency  in  voice  is  unequal  to  the  vocal  possibilities. 
Thus  we  are  generally  thrown  back  upon  our  own  elabo- 
ration of  the  actually  received  sound  qualities. 

What  has  been  said  of  verbal  sound  in  general  may 
be  applied  with  little  modification  to  special  forms  of  it. 
The  physical  resemblances  to  which  onomatopoeia  owes 
its  effectiveness  are  quite  remote;  the  associations  break 
down  except  with  the  liberal  assistance  of  imagination.10 
The  major  part  of  the  pleasurable  and  the  impressive 
from  this  source  is  mentally  supplied  and  the  function 
of  Tonmalerei  in  poetry  is  mainly  that  of  intensifying, 
supplementing  imagination.11  The  sound  effects  pro- 
duced by  rhyme  have  obviously  an  accessory  office,  pure 
and  simple.  As  the  sounds  of  words,  singly  or  in  gram- 
matical combination,  rarely  resemble  closely  tones  or 
noises  in  nature,  so  the  phonetic  correspondences  of 
rhyme  seldom  reproduce  external  phenomena. 

Of  rhythm  no  mention  is  made  in  the  following  dis- 
cussion. For  rhythm  is  not  a  matter  of  sound,  but  of 


10  Cf.  George  Campbell,  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric,  London, 
1850,  p.  331.  It  is  questionable  whether  there  is  real  likeness  to 
the  things  symbolized  either  in  analogically  imitative  symbols 
like  rough,  smooth,  keen,  blunt,  thin,  hard,  or  in  more  directly 
reproductive  terms  like  splash,  bang,  whiz,  roar.  The  expressive 
superiority  of  such  words  may  be  ascribed  largely  to  the  fact 
that  they  are  specific,  concrete  and  short,  and  consequently  enable 
economy  of  mental  effort.  Cf.  Herbert  Spencer,  Philosophy  of 
Style,  Essays,  New  York,  1866,  pp.  IS  ff. 

«  Cf.  Konrad  Lange,  Das  Wesen  der  Kunst,  Berlin,  1907, 
Ch.  VI,  p.  109. 


SOUNDS  165 

bodily  movement,  at  least  incipient,  originating  presum- 
ably in  the  primitive  tendency  of  man  to  convert  inner 
tension  into  action.  So  understood,  rhythm  is  not  ger- 
mane to  a  discussion  of  the  poetic  uses  of  reproduced 
sounds  of  various  types. 

In  accordance  with  the  views  expressed  in  the  pre- 
vious discussion,  we  shall  proceed  upon  the  assumption 
that  the  importance  of  sounds  as  employed  by  poetry 
rests  in  the  end  upon  ideal  and  not  physical  audition,  and 
shall  treat  the  more  distinctly  sensory  sound  properties 
inherent  in  spoken  words  and  augmented  by  rhyme  only 
as  contributory  aids  to  such  ideal  audition. 

Sounds  admit  of  division  into  tones  and  noises  (aural 
impressions  produced  by  air  vibrations  of  regular  and 
irregular  periodicity,  respectively).  The  simple  primary 
tones  may  enter  into  certain  relations  with  the  overtones 
to  form  a  "clang."  Sounds  are  distinguishable  as  to 
volume  or  quantity,  timbre  or  quality,  and  as  to  a  third 
attribute — intensity — which  is  to  an  extent  a  function 
of  volume  and  is  affected  by  timbre,  yet  depends  more 
than  either  of  the  other  two  features  upon  the  energy 
and  violence  of  the  production  and  the  reception  of  the 
sound  vibrations,  upon  distance  from  the  ear,  and  upon 
the  nature  of  the  transmitting  media.12 

Sounds  in  nature  are  predominantly  noises  or  com- 
binations of  tones  and  noises,  greatly  varied  as  to  volume, 
intensity  and  timbre;  and  language  has  a  rich  vocabu- 
lary for  designating  the  various  amounts,  degrees  and 
shades  of  these  nature  sounds.  In  German,  especially, 
a  goodly  stock  of  epithets  enables  the  description  of 
sound  quantities  all  the  way  from  voll  to  leer;  of  inten- 


12  Pure  tones,  so-called,  are  an  exception  to  this  statement ; 
they  have  pitch  but  do  not  have  timbre. 


166        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

sities  from  laut  to  leise;  or  of  the  more  distinguishing 
features  of  timbre  from  dumpf,  dunkel,  drohnend  to  hell, 
grell,  schrill. 

Accordingly  one  would  expect  to  find  a  great  variety 
of  terms  in  the  lyric  poems  of  an  ardent  nature  lover  like 
Hebbel.  We  are  surprised  to  discover  that  Hebbel's 
sounds  do  not  compare  with  his  lights  and  colors  in  fre- 
quency or  in  variety  and  profusion  of  arrangement.  The 
voluminous  sounds  in  nature — such  as  those  produced  by 
breakers,  by  thunder,  by  the  storm  wind — recur  with 
great  frequency.  At  first  sight  we  appear  to  have  rela- 
tively few  sound  combinations,  and  we  note  in  these  a 
certain  stereotyped  sameness.  There  is  a  noticeable  re- 
currence of  such  sounds  as  rauschen,  sausen,  sauseln, 
schallen,  brausen,  klingen,  etc.  What  appears  to  be  a 
striving  after  certain  theatrical  effects  characterizes  the 
stereotyped  introduction  of  certain  typical  sounds.  Un- 
consciously we  think  of  stage  music  when  Hebbel  intro- 
duces horn  and  trumpet,  lets  the  war-drum  roll  and  the 
shrill  fife  pierce  the  air.  In  his  lyrics  there  is  much  toll- 
ing of  church-bells ;  the  flute  and  violin  never  fail  to  lend 
to  dance  or  carnival  the  needed  merriment,  and  angels 
rarely  appear  unattended  by  the  soft  strain  of  the  harp. 

But  there  is  a  reason  for  this.  Hebbel,  like  most  other 
poets,  was  susceptible  to  the  musical  capabilities  of  lan- 
guage. The  sounds  to  which  he  here  resorts  are 
onomatopoetic,  for  the  most  part;  they  are  thus  the 
household  words  of  every  poet's  vocabulary  and  natur- 
ally suggest  themselves  by  virtue  of  an  intrinsic  pro- 
priety and  fitness.  Moreover,  the  uniformity  arising 
from  the  repetition  of  typical  sounds  is  not  due  wholly 
to  artistic  limitations.  The  uniformity  is  rooted  in 
nature  itself,  both  as  regards  the  human  sense  organs 
and  also  in  a  measure  as  regards  nature's  physical  re- 


SOUNDS  167 

sources.  True,  the  physical  sound  range  embraces  an 
infinite  series  of  qualities  bounded  by  the  limits  of  audi- 
bility; yet  the  tone  realm  of  the  human  organs  and  of 
musical  instruments  involves  but  a  small  section  of  the 
audible.  And  although  the  ear  is  capable  of  distinguish- 
ing many  more  tone  qualities  than  those  of  the  musical 
scale — 1200  distinct  tones  are  perceptible  under  most 
favorable  conditions — yet  there  are  decided  limitations 
to  such  keen  tone  perception.  The  fine  gradations  can- 
not be  voluntarily  produced ;  memory  and  recognition  of 
them  are  difficult.  And  it  is  not  the  artificially  produced 
musical  tones  to  which  poetry  naturally  resorts,  but 
rather  the  tones  and  noises  in  nature.  And  here  certain 
conditions  tend  to  limit  what  appears  to  be  an  inex- 
haustible source  of  supply.  The  pure  tones  in  nature 
are  far  less  numerous  than  the  pure  tones  artificially 
produced;  only  the  human  vocal  sounds  may  be  classed 
as  pure  nature  tones.  Even  in  most  animal  sounds  the 
noise  element  predominates ;  few  bird  varieties  have  songs 
in  which  besides  noises  real  tones  or  "clangs"  appear. 
And  despite  the  extraordinary  native  capacity  of  the  ear 
for  distinguishing  sound  variations,  despite  the  tendency 
of  human  speech  and  of  music  further  to  develop  this 
capacity,  frequent  recurrence  and  the  indefinite  contin- 
uance of  many  nature  sounds  gradually  tend  to  cause 
auditory  bluntness  and  habitual  inattention.  So  that  the 
musical  scale  of  the  outer  world  to  which  we  consciously 
respond  is  less  varied  and  refined  than  its  color  palette; 
and  while  the  human  eye  is  often  lured  through  the 
pleasures  of  sight  to  revel  in  the  infinite  nuances  of  light 
and  color,  there  is  generally  less  conscious  response  to 
sound  stimuli;  the  incentive  closely  to  observe  nature's 
tones  is  less  strong  than  is  the  temptation  to  note  her 
hues.  Consequently  a  nice  adjustment  to  the  refinements 


168        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

of  sound  is  a  rarer  endowment  even  among  sensuously 
gifted  poets.  For  the  rewards  of  such  nature  study  are 
not  so  tangible ;  the  fruits  of  it  admit  of  relatively  limited 
assimilation  in  art.  This  pertains  even  to  music ;  the  tone 
poet  rears  a  structure  that  as  organic  entity  is  essen- 
tially without  a  counterpart  in  nature.  In  poetry — even 
in  orally  rendered  poetry — the  role  of  physical  sound 
is  an  auxiliary  one ;  the  imitative  tones  serve  as  spiritual 
media,  as  emotional  adjuncts,  as  aids  to  ideation  and 
illusion. 

The  lack  of  variety  in  Hebbel's  sound  terms  is  there- 
fore natural  enough.  Furthermore,  it  is  only  when  we 
formally  classify  and  frigidly  analyze  that  we  become 
aware  of  any  sameness  in  Hebbel's  employment  of 
sound.  And  this  is  perhaps  an  adequate  defense.  As 
the  tones  flow  spontaneously  from  the  mood  of  the 
singer  so  they  mingle  easily  and  naturally  with  the  mood 
of  the  receptive  listener.  Only  when  we  test  and  tabulate 
without  sympathetic  abandon  do  we  become  conscious 
of  repetitions. 

The  defects  of  Hebbel's  sounds,  which  we  believe  to 
be  inherent  in  the  element  itself,  are  offset  by  marked 
excellences  that  spring  partly  from  sound's  organic 
properties  and  partly  from  spiritual  elaboration  of  these 
properties.  To  the  purely  material  facts  delivered  by 
the  auditory  sensations  must  be  added  the  rich  stores  of 
experience  supplied  by  the  play  of  the  emotions.  For  if 
the  sounds  of  nature  yield  to  her  colors  on  the  score  of 
variety  and  of  adaptability  to  artistic  purposes,  the  more 
simple  and  elemental  sounds  are  peerless  in  their  inten- 
sity of  appeal.  The  very  quality  of  sounds  that  makes 
them  elude  at  times  our  intent  notice  enables  them  to 
steal  unawares  into  our  musings  and  to  give  the  dis- 
tinctive tone  to  our  moods.  Such  modal  influence  is  of 


SOUNDS  169 

mysterious  origin,  partly  the  echo  of  personal  responses, 
partly  a  legacy  of  racial  experiences.  Bain  divines  in 
a  pathetic  wail  some  deep-seated  hereditary  association 
with  grief.  The  mythologies  of  primitive  peoples  ade- 
quately attest  the  power  of  nature's  sounds  as  emotional 
reagents.  The  awakening  of  awe  and  fear,  of  joy,  of 
yearning,  of  peace  and  calm  through  the  stimulating 
agency  of  sounds  belongs  to  the  elemental  experiences 
of  both  race  and  individual.  It  is  here  that  poetry, 
recognizing  the  dynamic  relation  between  physical  nature 
and  human  emotion,  makes  the  most  effectual  and  legiti- 
mate use  of  sound.  Prominent  among  the  universal 
features  of  poetic  style  is  the  employment  of  the  numer- 
ous associated  effects  of  sounds,  "the  moan  of  wind, 
dash  of  torrent,  purling  of  the  brook,  boom  of  artillery, 
merry  note  of  lark,  solitary  cry  of  owl,  deceptive  voice 
of  cuckoo"  (Bain,  English  Comp.  and  Rhet,  p.  216). 

Hebbel's  journals  confirm  our  contention  that  for  him 
sound  impressions,  within  their  normally  imposed  limits, 
assumed  great  intensity.  While  sound  allusions  in  his 
diaries  are  decidedly  outnumbered  by  those  of  color, 
while  there  is  less  variety  of  terms  and  less  detailed 
sound  description,  there  is  on  the  other  hand  good  evi- 
dence that  such  sounds  as  receive  more  than  casual 
notice  impressed  his  senses  keenly,  awakened  lively 
images  and  materially  influenced  his  moods.  Not  a  little 
versatility  is  exhibited  in  the  introduction  of  sound  ele- 
ments. The  journals  have  passages  in  which  promis- 
cuous noises  unite  to  form  a  homogeneous  synthesis: 
".  .  .  .  Gesumse  der  Kafer,  Sonnenstralen,  sauselnde 
Liifte "13  Often  the  principle  of  contrast  operates, 


13  Tgb.  I,  877.  Cf .  also :  "Mir  vis  a  vis  wird  der  Polter- 
Abend  eines  Brauerknechts  gefeiert;  fiirchterlicher  Gesang 
schallt  tiber  die  Strasse,  welchen  die  Knaben  wiederholen,  die 


170       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

the  various  tones  mentioned  offsetting  one  another.14  A 
common  manner  of  the  journals  is  to  group  together 
sound  elements  that  are  perhaps  diverse  if  compared  one 
with  another,  yet  collectively  merge  to  form  a  common 
contrast  with  some  silent  person  or  object  in  the  environ- 
ment. When  so  grouped  and  collected,  the  sounds  are 
often  essential  factors  in  the  arousal  of  definite  Stim- 
mungen: 

"Die    Morgue draussen    pfeifen    die    Lerchen 

und  Rothkehlchen,  drinnen  liegen  die  Todten."15 
".  .  .  .  Ein  Gewitter  zog  herauf  und  kiindigte  sich  .... 
durch  abgemessne,  einzelne  Donnerschlage  an ;  der  Wind 
erhub  sich  und  rauschte  vor  mir  in  den  Baumen;  .... 
von  unten  schaumte  der  Neckar  zu  mir  herauf ;  vor  mir 
sah  ich  auf  einer  Bank  einen  schlafenden  Knaben,  den 
Donner,  Regen  und  Wind  nicht  zu  erwecken  vermogten 
.  .  .  ,"16  ".  .  .  .  Die  stille,  schweigende  Stunde;  die 
sauselnden  Baume  rund  umher ;  die  ruhenden  Schiff e  im 
Hafen,  auf  denen  hie  und  da  ein  Hund  bellte  .  .  .  ,"17 

Among  the  sounds  recorded  in  the  journals,  the  allu- 
sions to  those  that  are  artificially  produced  take  numeri- 
cal precedence.  Memories  of  pleasurable  experience  lie 
beneath  the  references  to  music,  to  flourishing  horns  and 
trumpets,  to  wildly  exulting  martial  airs,  to  the  tones  of 
belfry  chimes  and  of  harp  or  of  zither.18  On  the  other 


....  Topfe  und  Schiisseln  zerschmeissen  .  .  .  ."  Tgb.  I,  1653. 
Also:  "Kinder  schreien  und  aus  der  Feme  tont  eine  heisere 
Drehorgel  .  .  .  ."  Tgb.  I,  1701,  Is.  3-4. 

14  "Draussen  in  den  Baumen,  ....  heult  der  Wind,  die 
langsame,  schnarrende  Stimme  des  Nachtwachters  tont  zu  mir 
heriiber,  auf  dem  Vorplatz  geht  muhsam  und  schwer  eine  Uhr," 
Tgb.  I,  1550,  Is.  4  ff. 

i«  Tgb.  II,  3052. 

IB  Tgb.  I,  152. 

"Tgb.  I,  1702. 

is  Tgb.  I,  155;  1210;  1368;  1404;  1819;  Tgb.  II,  1910;  2867; 
2923;  3110;  Tgb.  IV,  5391. 


SOUNDS  171 

hand,  the  journals  allude  with  undisguised  apprehension 
or  annoyance  to  the  beating  of  alarm  drum,  to  the  bedlam 
of  a  Polterabend  celebration,  to  the  watchman's  pene- 
trating rattle  and  the  hoarse  note  of  the  hand-organ.19 
In  a  few  diary  passages  Hebbel's  susceptibility  to  music 
and  his  ready  surrender  to  its  emotional  influence  are 
clearly  shown.  He  speaks,  for  example,  of  the  strange 
effect  of  music  heard  in  the  dark;  and  he  copies  in  full 
with  brief  but  approving  comment  J.  Mosen's  poem  Der 
Trompeter  an  der  Katsbach,  of  which  the  verbal  repro- 
duction of  musical  impression  forms  an  important  fea- 
ture.20 

Next  to  instrumental  there  is  most  frequent  mention 
in  the  diaries  of  vocal  sounds  of  man  and  of  animal, 
including  those  unpleasant  as  well  as  those  pleasant. 
Beside  singing  and  shouting,  we  hear  barking  of  dogs, 
chirping  of  birds,  humming  of  insects,  grunting  and 
squealing  of  pigs.21  Among  the  human  vocal  sounds  some 
variety  in  volume  and  timbre  is  observable,  and  certain 
unpleasant  vocal  qualities  are  objectified  by  effective 
verbs  or  adjectives  such  as  schreien,  anbrullen,  husten, 
r'duspern,  flustern,  bloken,  ridseln,  heiser,  gellend, 
qualend-piepsig.  There  is  one  particularly  beautiful  de- 
scription of  singing  girls,  which  again  exhibits  Hebbel's 
sympathetic  response  to  music  and  his  love  of  pure 
and  simple  sounds: 

"Die  Madchen  sangen  einige  Lieder,  anspruchslos, 
schlicht  und  fromm,  der  Vater  stand  mit  gefalteten 
Handen  dabei  und  sang  innerlich  mit,  ein  kleiner  Dachs 
lag  zu  ihren  Fiissen,  schaute  vergniiglich  zu  ihnen  hinauf 
und  schlug  mit  seinem  Schwanzchen  den  Tact.  Als  wir 


«Tgb.  I,  1349;  1369;  1653;  1701,  line  3. 
20  Tgb.  I,  1758;  1796. 

21Tgb.  I,  397;  877;  1319;  1550;  1653;  1701;  1702;  Tgb.  II, 
2387;  2540;  2840;  2867;  2870,  line  32;  3052;  Tgb.  IV,  6047;  6160. 


172        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

gingen,  sangen  sie  sogar  das  Lebewohl,  was  sich  bei  den 
schwachen,  leise  verhallenden  Tonen  der  begleitenden 
Cither  tief  riihrend  ausnahm."22 

The  reference  to  tones  of  nature  proper  is  not  frequent 
in  the  diaries.  Relatively  seldom  is  anything  said  about 
storm  sounds,  about  howling  wind,  roaring  wave  or 
rustling  leaves.  But  here  again,  if  the  references  are 
insignificant  in  point  of  number,  they  are  intensely  effec- 
tive and  warrant  the  assumption  of  keen  original  sensa- 
tion. There  is  an  impressive  description  of  three  rain 
and  wind  storms  witnessed  by  Hebbel  in  Gmunden  or 
thereabouts.23  There  is  an  allusion  to  the  noises  of  tem- 
pest and  wave  heard  by  him  during  a  walk  in  Copen- 
hagen one  Sunday  in  January,  1843,  rugged  elemental 
noises  that  aroused  his  sinking  poetic  faith  and  actually 
inspired  the  composition  of  a  song.24  The  capital  repro- 
duction of  the  whispering,  rustling  and  roaring  in  the 
pines  as  the  wind  rises,  swells  and  subsides;  or  of  the 
low,  subdued  murmuring  in  the  branches,  suggesting  the 
busy  hum  of  swarming  bees,  and  lending  a  deep,  sus- 
tained accompaniment  to  the  light  and  playful  melody  of 
the  brook — these  are  good  examples  of  Hebbel's  acute 
observation,  his  responsive  fancy  and  his  effective  de- 
scription : 

"Nie  sah  ich  die  Tanne  noch  so  schlank  und  so  stam- 
mig,  wie  hier,  wo  sie  der  einzige  Baum  ist,  diess  Mai 
rauschten  die  Kronen  im  frischen  Winde,  und  nie 
vernahm  ich  noch  ein  solches  Rauschen;  leise,  fast 
sauselnd,  begann  es,  als  ob  in  der  Ferae  nur  ein  einziger 
Baum  geschiittelt  wurde,  dann  verstarkte  es  sich,  wurde 
dichter  und  dichter  und  concentrirte  sich  zum  Sturm- 
accord  iiber  unserm  Haupt,  darauf  schwachte  es  sich 


22  Tgb.  IV,  5391,  Is.  8-14. 

28Tgb.  IV,  5932. 

24  Tgb.  II,  2641.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1429. 


SOUNDS  173 

ab,  und  endlich  verier  es  sich  mit  Tonen,  wie  sie  ein 
langsam  fortrollender  Wagen  wohl  von  sich  giebt."25 

"Die  Tannen  rauschten  diess  Mai  im  leisen  Winde,  der 
sie  nur  leicht  bewegte,  ganz  so,  als  ob  hoch  oben  in  jeder 
Krone  ein  Bienenschwarm  sasse  und  emsig  arbeitend  sein 
Wohlbehagen  in  Tonen  aussummte;  daneben  an  der 
Seite  ein  frohlicher  Bach,  .  .  .  ,"26 

Hebbel's  lyrics  adequately  show  that  his  sense  of  these 
sound  effects  and  their  psychic  relation  is  in  no  degree 
lacking.  Within  the  physically  imposed  limits  indicated 
above,  our  poet  succeeds  in  securing  through  the  media 
of  sound  certain  really  artistic  results.  These  effects 
are  occasionally  enhanced  by  an  apt  variation  of  the 
volume  or  the  quality  of  the  sound;  or  by  instituting 
sound  contrasts.  In  Schiffers  Abschied,  17-26  (VI,  148), 
we  have  a  gradation  of  three  degrees  recorded :  the  whis- 
pering of  the  wind  in  the  branches ;  the  whistling  of  the 
wind  through  the  ship's  rigging;  the  roaring  of  the 
storm  wind.  In  Traum,  14-7  (VII,  166),  low,  sombre 
funeral  bells  alternate  with  stirring  trumpet  blasts  and 
thundering  cannon.  Elsewhere,  again,  terrifying  noises 
contrast  with  soft,  peaceful  strains ;  tones  of  gloom  are 
relieved  by  peals  of  revelry  and  merriment  ;27  or  ominous 
silence  is  broken  by  deafening  din.28  How  effectual  such 
contrasts  may  become,  the  following  passage  suggests : 

"  Unter    duftigen    Baumen,    vom    Hauch    des    Abends 

durchsauselt, 
Sammelt  von  reizenden  Frau'n  still  sich  ein  glan- 

zender  Flor; 

Leise  ergiesst  sich  der  Strom  melodischer  Klange  und 
schaukelt 


25  Tgb.  IV,  5283. 
2«Tgb.  IV,  5304. 

27  Die   heilige   Drei   113-6   (VI,   183);   Die    Schlacht  bei 
Hemmingstedt  5-6  (VII,  90). 

28  See  chapter  on  Silence,  pp.  227-9. 


174       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Zwischen  Wonne  und  Weh  jedes  empfangliche 

Herz; 
Aber  die  Wogen  des  Meers,  am  nahen  Gestade  sich 

brechend 
Und  vom  Winde  geschwellt,  donnern  verhalten 

darein, 
An  die  gewalt'gen  Accorde  der  rollenden  Spharen  uns 

mahnend, 
Welche  fur's  menschliche  Ohr  sanft  zur  Musik 

sich  gedampft." 

Villa  reale  a  Napoli  (VI,  336 )29 

For  the  most  part  the  sound  terms  enter  as  Stim- 
mungsmittel  into  passages  essentially  narrative;  there  is 
a  comparatively  limited  employment  of  sound  in  dis- 
tinctly descriptive  passages.  Occasionally,  however,  Heb- 
bel  makes  a  picture  live  by  a  skillful  introduction  of  the 
sounds  that  enter  saliently  into  the  scene.  If  we  were 
actually  on  the  spot  we  could  hardly  feel  the  subtle  spell 
of  autumn  more  keenly  than  Hebbel  makes  us  feel  it 
when  he  sings: 

"  Diess  ist  ein  Herbsttag,  wie  ich  keinen  sah ! 

Die  Luft  ist  still,  als  athmete  man  kaum, 
Und  dennoch  fallen  raschelnd,  fern  und  nah', 

Die  schonsten  Fruchte  ab  von  jedem  Baum." 
Herbstbild,  1-4  (VI,  232) 


29  In  Tennyson's  "Day  Dream"  there  is  a  very  effectual 
contrast  secured  chiefly  through  silence  and  sound,  aided  by  rest 
and  movement,  in  the  two  following  stanzas : 

"  She  sleeps :  her  breathings  are  not  heard 
In  palace  chambers  far  apart. 
The  fragrant  tresses  are  not  stirr'd 

A  perfect  form  in  perfect  rest. 

A  touch,  a  kiss !  the  charm  was  snapt, 
There  rose  a  noise  of  striking  clocks, 
And  feet  that  ran,  and  doors  that  clapt, 
And  barking  dogs,  and  crowing  cocks;"  etc. 


SOUNDS  175 

Here  the  mere  mention  of  the  fruit  falling  from  the 
trees  spurs  the  imagination  and  suggests  other  autumnal 
sounds,  which  altogether  attune  us  to  the  spirit  of  the 
scene.30 

There  are  still  other  descriptive  passages  in  which  the 
sounds  in  the  air  contribute  perceptibly  to  the  spirit  of 
the  scene.  In  Heimkehr  and  Der  Haideknabe  the  sounds 
are  mournful  to  harmonize  with  the  dreary  sadness  of 
the  picture.31  Elsewhere  again  soothing,  tranquillizing 
tones  are  heard,  or  harsh,  ominous  noises  strike  awe  or 
terror  into  the  heart — according  to  the  prevailing  mood 
of  the  picture.  What  power  dwells  in  sounds  to  make 
landscape  laugh  or  weep,  will  appear  upon  comparison 
of  the  passages  here  cited : 

(a)     PEACEFUL  AND  SOOTHING. 

" .  .  .  .  der  Obelisk, 

Der  einst,  umrauscht  von  Palm'  und  Tamarisk, 
Sesostris  griisste;  .  .  .  ." 

Ein  S patziergang  in  Paris,  37-9  (VI,  241) 


30  We  are  reminded  of  a  striking  parallel  in  Tennyson's 
"In  Memoriam,"  XI,  1-4: 

"  Calm  is  the  morn  without  a  sound, 
Calm  as  to  suit  a  calmer  grief, 
And  only  thro'  the  faded  leaf 
The  chestnut  pattering  to  the  ground." 

31 

"  Laut  durch  die  Luft,  die  dunkle  Wiiste, 
Fuhr  nachtlich-ungestum  der  Sturm. 
Die  erste  Stimme  die  mich  griisste, 
Erscholl  herab  vom  Glockenthurm." 

Heimkehr,  1-4  (VII,  155) 

"  Hinaus  aus  der  Stadt !     Und  da  dehnt  sie  sich, 
Die  Haide,  nebelnd,  gespenstiglich, 
Die  Winde  daruber  sausend. 

Die  Blatter  flustern  so  schaurig, 
Das  Wasserlein  rieselt  so  traurig." 

Haideknabe,  Is.  21-3;  63-4  (VI,  166) 


176        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

"  Leiser  scheint  der  Fluss  zu  wallen" 

Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings,  5  (VI,  217) 

"  Selbst  munt're  Bache  springen 
Hier  nicht,  noch  schwatzt  ein  Quell ;" 

Bin  Wald,  25-6  (VI,  397) 

"  Aber  welter,  in  der  Feme, 
Zieh'n,  gleich  Engeln,  durch  die  Luft 
Voile  Klange  und  Gesange" 

Das  Kind,  5-7  (VII,  74) 

"  Und  es  darf  sich  f  roh  berauschen 
In  den  heitern  Melodien, 
Welche  Vogelein  entklingen, 
Die  nicht  mehr  voriiberzieh'n." 

Das  Kind,  25-8  (VII,  74) 

"  O,  sauselt  lind',  ihr  Weste, 
Ob  dieser  kiihlen  Gruft," 

Laura,  9-10  (VII,  19) 

"  Die  Voglein  zwitschern,  die  Sonne  lacht, 
Am  Hiigel  weiden  die  Schafe." 

Das  Kind  am  Brunnen,  3-4  (VI,  180) 

"  Durch  Bienen  eingesurrt  und  and're  Summer, 
Von  Duft  betaubt,  fallst  du  in  tiefen  Schlummer" 

An  ein  schones  Kind  6-7  (VI,  321) 

"  Blumen  sprossen  aus  dem  Klee, 
Lerchen  rauschen  nieder." 

Verloren  und  gefunden,  27-8  (VI,  424) 


(b)     AWFUL,  OMINOUS. 

pf  i 

I's  » 

Der  Ring,  1-2  (VII,  59) 


"  Die  Wogen  drohnen  dumpf  und  schwer, 
Ein  Reiter  reitet  hinab  an's  Meer." 


SOUNDS  177 

".  .  .  .  die  schwarze  Schlucht, 
In  der  es  ewig  braus't, 
Weil  sie  in  unterirdischer  Flucht 
Der  wildeste  Strom  durchsaus't." 

Vater  und  Sohn,  17-20  (VI,  427) 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  human  emotions  and  the 
sounds  of  nature  are  closely  associated.  This  association 
is  generally  spontaneous.  The  mental  process  involved  is 
one  in  which  reflection  and  judgment  play  a  small  part 
if  any,  while  imagination  is  the  dominant  factor.  Yet 
the  relation  of  emotions  and  sounds  is  not  absolute  and 
invariable.  A  given  noise  awakens  different  feelings 
under  different  circumstances,  now  firing  the  fancy  to 
create  unearthly  delights  or  horrors,  now  leaving  it  but 
feebly  affected.  The  momentary  mood,  which  is  the 
soul's  bent  for  the  time  being,  determines  which  kind 
of  emotion  the  given  sound  shall  awaken,  and  limits  to 
that  degree  the  activity  of  the  imagination.  Within  these 
limits  the  imagination  roams  with  royal  freedom,  reading 
its  own  meaning  into  the  impressions  delivered  by  the 
senses,  or  even  creating  through  its  own  independent 
exercise  fictitious  sounds  and  sights,  if  it  so  chance  that 
such  are  lacking  in  reality.  Thus  Cain,  fresh  from  the 
murder  of  his  brother,  hears  in  his  fevered  mind  the  very 
leaves  and  blossoms  call  down  justice  upon  him.32  Mor- 
tal, chafing  amid  his  restraints,  hears,  or  thinks  he  hears, 
ravishing  melodies  luring  him  away  from  the  narrow 
confines  of  his  earthly  life.33 

There  are  various  methods  by  which  the  poet  may 
employ  nature's  sounds.  The  passages  quoted  illustrate 
the  most  obvious  method ;  viz.  to  introduce  sounds  which 


32Kains  Klage  26-7  (VII,  10).    Cf.  Genesis  IV,  10:  "the 
voice  of  thy  brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground." 
33  Das  Kind  5-8  (VII,  74). 


178        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

are  appropriate  to  and  consonant  with  the  dominant 
mood  of  the  song,  and  which  by  their  presence  attune 
the  soul  of  the  reader  to  the  scene  and  the  sentiment 
portrayed.  Or  the  sound  may  enter  as  a  vital  part  of 
the  symbol  in  which  the  main  theme  of  the  poem  is  em- 
bodied. Sometimes  again  the  sounds  contrast  with  the 
prevailing  mood.  In  narrative  passages  there  is  gen- 
erally a  combination  of  two  or  more  of  these  methods. 
One  thing  characterizes  the  employment  of  this  (as  well 
as  every  other)  sensuous  element  in  Hebbel's  poetry. 
Whether  in  description  or  narration,  the  portrayal  of 
soul  experience  is  the  poet's  prime  object.  Therefore  it 
is  in  passages  and  poems  in  which  such  experience  is 
strongest  that  the  arousing  sounds  are  most  admirably 
used.  This  emotional  quality  is  rarely  absent;  it  enters 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  wherever  Hebbel  employs  the 
sensuous.  And  so  we  see  lights  and  colors  not  as  they 
actually  are,  but  as  they  become  when  refracted  through 
personality.  We  hear  sounds  not  exactly  as  the  senses 
deliver  them,  but  as  they  are  modified  by  the  undertones 
of  the  soul.  Hebbel  was  free  to  confess  that  his  art  was 
at  times  unequal  to  the  task  of  communicating  the  in- 
tensity of  his  feeling.  At  such  times  the  expressional 
resources  of  poetry  seemed  to  him  to  be  overtaxed  and 
to  require  the  richer  emotional  idiom  of  music.  When 
Schumann  had  set  to  music  Hebbel's  Nachtlied,  the  poet 
wrote  to  the  composer,  frankly  acknowledging  the  living 
power  that  his  thoughts  and  images  received  when 
wedded  with  music: 

"Ich  habe  das  Gedicht  immer  lieb  gehabt  und  es  bis 
den  heutigen  Tag  lieb  behalten,  bin  aber  erst  durch  Ihre 
Musik,  die  mich  in  die  Heidelberger  Dammernacht,  in 
der  es  entstand,  ganz  zuriickfiihrte,  zu  der  Erkenntniss 
gekommen,  dass  der  Dichter  so  ahnungsreichen  Natur- 
und  Seelenmomenten  doch  nur  die  aussersten  Umrisse 


SOUNDS  179 

abgewinnt  und   dass    das    Leben   durch   die  verwandte 
Kunst  hinzugethan  werden  muss"   (VII,  258). 

There  are  many  illustrations  of  sound  introduced  as 
vital  part  of  the  symbol  in  which  the  main  theme  of  a 
poem  is  embodied.  This  symbol  stirs  waves  of  associa- 
tion that  break  up  into  ripples  of  fancy  and  reach  in 
time  the  farthest  recesses  of  the  heart.  Der  junge 
Schiffer  (VI,  145),  employs  the  rushing  wind  as  sug- 
gestive of  the  adventurous  restlessness  of  the  young 
sailor.  Keen  tempest-cleaving  exhilaration,  an  intoxi- 
cating sense  of  superiority  over  impending  obstacles  and 
a  Promethean  delight  in  grappling  with  them — with  this 
spirit  the  song  Zu  Pferd  (VI,  149),  is  instinct.  This 
poem  illustrates  another  interesting  ingredient  in  Heb- 
bel's  poetry.  The  intimacy  between  man  and  animal 
springing  from  the  close  relation  into  which  their  lots 
are  frequently  brought,  aroused  in  Hebbel  an  interest  in 
animal  life  to  which  he  gives  repeated  expression  in  his 
works.  Here  the  faithful  horse,  filled  with  the  zest  of 
physical  conquest  and  fired  with  the  self-confident 
abandon  of  his  master,  neighs  defiantly  and  plunges  with 
all  his  quivering  impatience  into  the  thick  of  the  storm. 
Howling  wind  and  neighing,  plunging  horse  contribute 
materially  to  the  vivid  expression  of  defiant  self-reliance. 
That  there  is  objectivity,  "Anschaulichkeit,"  here  is  un- 
deniable, but  the  objectivity  is  subordinate.  The  chief 
interest  here  as  elsewhere  lies  in  the  soul  experience,  in 
the  mood ;  and  to  symbolize,  as  well  as  to  accentuate  and 
intensify  this  mood,  Hebbel  avails  himself  of  the  potent 
symbolic  and  associative  property  of  sound. 

A  similar  mood-stirring  function  is  performed  by  the 
element  of  sound  in  Sturmabend  (VI,  143),  and  in  Die 
Schlacht  bei  Hemming stedt  (VII,  90).  Sturmabend 
portrays  the  cynical  exultation  of  a  soul  doomed  to 


180        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

defeat  in  the  struggle  with  fate,  and  the  bold  challenge 
to  the  roaring,  pitiless  wind  symbolizes  the  muster  of 
the  soul's  waning  strength  for  one  last,  reckless  sur- 
render to  pleasure. 

If  we  enumerate  the  sounds  which  greet  our  ears  in 
Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  (VII,  90),  we  are  aston- 
ished at  their  number  and  diversity ;  the  waves  beat  upon 
the  shore  (1.  3),  lashed  by  the  howling  wind  (Is.  21; 
26;  54),  the  fifes  shriek  and  the  war-drums  rattle  (1.  7). 
The  air  is  filled  with  vocal  sounds,  a  great  variety  of 
them,  from  the  stentorian  command  (Is.  74-5),  and  re- 
echoing battle-cry  (Is.  50  ff.;  63  ff.),  to  the  half  audible 
sighs  (Is.  19-20),  and  the  death-rattle  of  the  dying  hero 
(1.  111).  And  all  these  sounds  seem  to  be  carried  along 
and  at  intervals  to  be  deeply  buried  in  the  bosom  of  the 
heavily  rolling  torrent  of  thundering  cannon  (Is.  5 ;  57) 
and  rattling  musketry  (1.  66) — grim  contrast  to  the  usual 
music  of  the  land,  the  peaceful  song  of  the  reaper  and 
the  busy  whir  of  the  scythe  (Is.  5-6).  But  the  storm 
wind's  howling  seems  the  most  persistent  of  the  as- 
sembled noises.  The  wild  violence  of  the  wind  images 
the  wild  commotion  of  battle  and  the  wild  frenzy  of  the 
desperate  fighters.  The  storm  wind  seems  to  symbolize 
the  recollection  of  injustice  and  oppression,  the  bitter 
resentment  that  fans  the  patriot's  hatred,  stirs  his  flag- 
ging spirits  and  drives  him  out  of  inactive  despair: 
"Horst  du  den  Sturmwind  sausen  ?  Er  ruft :  was  weilest 
du!"etc.  (Is.  21  if.,  VII,  91). 

Striking  in  their  symbolic  import  are  the  hostile 
sounds  that  struggle  for  supremacy  in  Das  Haus  ant 
Meer  (VI,  270).  However  difficult  to  analyze  and  inter- 
pret, these  warring  sounds  were  never  introduced  to 
gratify  a  mere  fondness  for  the  sensuous.  The  poem 
presents  the  tragedy  of  human  life  exemplified  in  a 


SOUNDS  181 

single  typical  experience.  Close  to  the  rush  and  roar 
of  the  sea,  workmen  are  building  the  house  that  is  to 
shelter  an  old  sailor's  declining  days  when  he  shall  return 
from  his  last  voyage.  Pounding  hammer  and  scraping 
saw  are  heard  at  intervals  amid  the  breakers  which,  now 
in  low  mutterings,  now  in  loud  angry  roars,  seem  like 
mighty  spirits  hostile  to  man  and  his  toil.  The  song  of 
the  busy  carpenter  is  snatched  from  his  mouth  by  the 
rising  wind.  The  master-workman  urges  on  his  men  lest 
the  old  sailor  return  and  find  his  house  unfinished — but 
his  words  sink  unheard  into  the  storm.  The  distress 
signal  of  a  foundering  vessel  is  swallowed  up  by  the  mad 
booming  of  the  sea,  and  the  returning  sailor  goes  down 
with  his  ship  as  the  last  hammer-stroke  resounds  in  his 
desolated  house.  Such  is  the  tragic  outcome  of  man's 
aims  and  labors.  And  the  sounds  employed  constitute 
a  strong  and  beautiful  medium  for  the  expression  of 
both  the  theme  and  the  sentiment  of  the  poem.  It  is  the 
old  dualism  in  nature  which  we  have  presented  here, 
the  deadly  combat  between  the  two  irreconcilable 
forces — individuality  and  totality.  This  purely  abstract 
theme  the  poet  has  objectified  and  humanized  for  us. 
We  see  with  awe  the  unfathomable  mystery  of  man's 
earthly  lot  and  the  consequent  tragedy  and  solemnity  of 
the  outward  acts  of  life.  Thus  the  battling  sounds  form 
an  important  feature  of  an  elaborate  symbol  by  which 
the  theme  of  the  poem  is  suggested,  the  indwelling  senti- 
ment and  spirit  caught  and  held,  its  tragic  ending  fore- 
toned. 

In  the  foregoing  poems  sound  gives  the  Stimmung  or 
supplies  the  symbol  practically  alone.  Elsewhere,  through 
the  cooperation  of  other  sensuous  elements,  this  solitary 
prominence  is  destroyed,  sound  merely  contributing  its 
part  toward  the  development  of  the  mood  or  the  symbol. 


182        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Accordingly  we  have  in  Zauberhain  (VI,  387),  gay 
colors  and  strong  perfumes  cooperating  with  the  alluring 
whisper  of  the  winds  and  the  sweet  song  of  the  birds 
to  entice  the  young  knight  to  his  doom.  In  Vater  und 
Sohn  (VI,  427),  deep,  strange  sounds  and  gloomy  lights 
supply  appropriate  accompaniment  to  the  recital  of  un- 
natural crime;  and  equally  suitable  combinations  of 
sounds  and  lights  prepare  us  for  the  violent  horrors  of 
Vater  unser  (VI,  169),  and  Kindesmorderin  (VII,  68). 
In  Laura  (VII,  19),  the  tender  sighs  of  the  bereaved 
maiden  mingle  with  the  low,  soft  voice  and  the  sweet 
breath  of  the  west  wind.  Vague  longings  and  thronging 
hopes  ungratified  fill  the  breast  of  the  shepherd  as  he 
wanders  by  night  through  the  fragrant  meadows,  and 
playful  zephyrs  kiss  but  do  not  cool  his  heated  brow 
(Der  Schajer,  VII,  113).  Bin  nachtliches  Echo  (VI, 
150),  is  all  aquiver  with  the  lights,  sounds  and  scents  of 
springtime :  the  thirsty  earth  drinks  the  evening  dew ; 
the  blossoming  branches,  bending  in  the  breeze,  fill  the 
languorous  youth  with  sweet  love-longings. 

There  is  an  essentially  dramatic  cast  to  Hebbel's  lyric 
genius.  While  never  deficient  in  the  quality  that  con- 
stitutes the  vital  breath  of  song,  namely  sentiment  and 
feeling,  Hebbel's  songs  uniformly  start  with  a  dramatic 
premise,  a  distinct  and  prominent  situation,  out  of  which 
the  emotion  of  the  song  inevitably  springs.  In  many  of 
the  poems  the  situation  is  presented  in  the  opening  lines, 
which  serve  as  the  dramatic  setting.  We  have  already 
shown  the  prominence  of  light  in  securing  this  dramatic 
setting.  The  part  played  by  sound  is  also  important; 
in  fact,  the  two  elements  very  frequently  co-operate 
(occasionally  in  combination  with  a  third  element  like 
odor  or  contact)  to  lend  the  desired  background  for  the 
soul-drama  of  the  poem.  The  first  three  stanzas  of 


SOUNDS  183 

Liebeszauber  (VI,  156),  are  devoted  to  this  very  thing. 
In  these  twelve  lines  hardly  a  single  channel  of  sensuous 
appeal  is  slighted.  Atmosphere,  light,  odor  and  sound 
combine  with  the  bodily  concomitants  of  emotion  in  a 
sensuous  tracery  that  affords  a  singularly  appropriate  set- 
ting for  the  unique  portrayal  of  mystery  and  passion. 
Even  line  and  form,  a  more  rare  feature  in  Hebbel's 
verse,  enter  conspicuously  into  this  striking  background. 
Cf.  Husaren-Werbung  (VI,  191). 

In  other  poems  the  setting  is  less  elaborate,  a  mere 
line  or  two;  often  sound  is  prominent  among  the  ele- 
ments employed.  The  hollow  tones  of  wind  and  wave 
open  Der  Ring  (VII,  59),  the  weird  supernaturalism  of 
the  song  thus  beginning  with  a  mournful  elemental  incan- 
tation. Darkness  and  the  terrifying  sounds  of  wind 
shaking  the  trees  are  the  first  things  that  greet  us  in 
Kindesmorderin  (VII,  68),  and  Vater  unser  (VI,  169). 

Certain  of  the  passages  that  illustrate  sound  employed 
as  Stimmungsmittel  and  in  symbolism  illustrate  quite 
well  the  subject  under  present  discussion.  Obviously 
Stimmungsmittel,  symbolism  and  dramatic  setting  may 
frequently  act  in  combination,  and  the  sounds  that  figure 
in  the  opening  scene  or  situation  may  also  very  well  form 
part  of  the  symbolism  or  constitute  a  prominent  factor 
in  the  awakening  of  the  desired  mood  (Zu  Pferd,  VI, 
149;  Vater  unser,  VI,  169;  Der  alien  Cotter  Abendmahl, 
VII,  132).  The  background  of  darkness  made  more 
ominous  by  the  noise  of  wind  and  creaking  trees  is  a 
favorite  emotional  aid  with  Hebbel.  This  convenient 
device  both  arouses  the  requisite  mood  in  the  hearer  by 
vague  announcement  of  what  is  to  befall,  and  also  sup- 
plies features  for  the  dramatic  setting.  The  opening 
lines  of  Der  alien  Cotter  Abendmahl  likewise  illustrate 
this  double  function  of  the  initial  sounds. 


184       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

A  further  consideration  with  respect  to  the  dramatic 
employment  of  sound  must  be  mentioned  before  passing 
on  to  the  next  head.  We  noticed  an  early  tendency  on 
Hebbel's  part  to  adjust  the  lights  and  colors  to  the 
momentary  mood  and  action  of  the  poems  with  such 
painstaking  accuracy  that  the  apparent  conscious  design 
of  it  spoils  the  artistic  effect.  A  similar  tendency  is 
noticed  at  times  in  the  employment  of  the  sounds.34  The 
poem  Rosa  (VII,  38),  in  which  the  illuminations  are 
managed  like  stage  limelights,  also  illustrates  an  occa- 
sional recourse  to  the  theatrical  use  of  sound.  The 
music  of  the  angel's  harp  is  low  and  tremulous  or  loud 
and  exultant  according  to  the  momentary  emotion  (Is. 
63  ff. ;  137  ff.).  The  sad  whisper  of  the  leaves  and  the 
brook's  monotonous  moan  suit  the  mood  in  Haideknabe, 
63-4  (VI,  168).  A  solitary  bird  sings  his  saddest  note 
in  Romanze  (VII,  36),  for  a  merry  songster  would  jar 
with  the  grief  of  the  disconsolate  maiden. 

Yet  such  sound-impressionism  seems  less  objection- 
able than  the  studied  Licht-  und  Farbenspiel  mentioned 
above.  More  than  is  the  case  with  the  hues  and  shades 
of  nature,  the  sounds  that  enter  the  air  depend  for  their 
effect  largely  upon  the  mood  of  the  hearer.  Intrinsic 
affective  qualities  the  various  sounds  of  nature  undoubt- 
edly have,  yet  the  ultimate  feelings  aroused  often  seem 
to  be  the  result  of  psychic  processes  that  are  unaffected 
by  the  nature  of  the  sound.  The  song  of  the  thrush,  the 
murmur  of  brook  or  pine  tree,  the  strains  of  harp  or  lute 
are  vibrant  joy  when  all  nature  laughs  and  the  heart 
laughs  with  it.  But  let  clouds  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
earth  and  over  the  heart,  then  atmosphere,  lights  and 
sounds  seem  each  and  all  to  be  orchestral  parts  in  a  sensu- 


34  "Gerausch !— 'Dein  Vater,  Knabe' " :  Waldbilder  21  (VI, 
222). 


SOUNDS  185 

ous  overture  that  stirs  the  soul  as  with  the  premonition 
of  coming  disaster.35  Such  rhythmic  correspondences 
therefore  would  seem  a  perfectly  justifiable  poetic  arti- 
fice. 

In  the  discussion  thus  far  we  have  made  no  effort  to 
differentiate  between  the  three  factors  that  are  really 
combined  in  the  artistic  employment  of  sound.  Or  rather 
we  have  suggested  the  differentiation  without  insistence 
upon  its  formal  recognition.  The  three  factors  are 
brought  out  when  we  sum  up  Hebbel's  allusion  to  sound 
in  the  following  postulate :  invariably  the  sounds  in  Heb- 
bel's songs  are  the  spontaneous  outflowing  of  the  mood 
awakened  in  the  poet  by  the  soul  experience  conveyed  in 
the  poem;  these  sounds  sustain  an  intimate  relation  of 
harmony  or  contrast  with  the  depicted  soul  experience, 
and  thus  by  their  appropriateness  they  superinduce 
analogous  emotions  in  the  soul  of  the  receptive  hearer. 
So  intricate  is  the  interdependence  and  interplay  of  these 
factors  that  it  has  seemed  unprofitable  to  keep  them  for- 
mally separate.  They  are  really  so  many  manifestations 
of  one  and  the  same  thing. 

KINDS  OF  SOUNDS 

We  pass  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  kinds  of 
sounds  employed  by  Hebbel ;  and  this  may  perhaps  be 
best  treated  by  an  examination  of  the  sources  of  his 
sounds.  Such  an  examination  will  modify  any  impres- 


35R0manze  11-5  (VII,  26);  's  ist  Mitternacht  27-30  (VI, 
174)  ;  Ein  Wald  27-32  (VI,  397)  ;  Voriiber  1-4  (VI,  417)  ;  Das 
Kind  3-4;  25-8  (VII,  74);  Wiedersehen  46  (VII,  134);  Im 
Walde  25-8  (VII,  170);  Waldbilder  62-4  (VI,  221).  See  also 
Ein  nachtliches  Echo  (VI,  150)  in  which  the  idea  is  carried  out 
consistently,  e.g.  in  lines  25-6:  "Seine  Seufzer  giebt  der  Wald 
ihm  treu  zuriick" — that  is  to  say,  nature's  sounds  are  the  echoes 
of  the  voices  that  come  from  the  soul  of  man. 


186        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

sion  of  uniformity  or  sameness,  for  it  will  demonstrate 
the  fact  that  the  sounds  to  which  Hebbel  has  recourse 
reveal  a  creditable  range  and  a  considerable  variety  of 
source.  As  might  be  inferred  from  the  passages  already 
quoted,  the  natural  sounds  play  the  most  important  role, 
the  sounds  that  result  from  elemental  activities  and 
those  that  are  produced  by  vocal  organs,  whether  of 
man  or  animal.  In  the  sounds  of  nature  the  tones  of  his 
heart  re-echo,  be  those  tones  gay  or  sad.  Again  and 
again  must  wind  and  storm,  thunder  and  rain  lend  their 
music  to  express  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  his  soul;  sea 
and  wave  accompany  the  action  with  their  tumult; 
brooks  murmur  in  peaceful  accord  or  purl  in  pitiless 
apathy;  forests  mingle  their  ecstatic  rustling  or  sigh  in 
sweet  compassion.  The  shouts  and  exclamations  of 
mortals,  the  calls  of  birds  give  expression  to  the  domi- 
nant mood.  Less  frequent  yet  important  are  the  musical 
sounds  alluded  to  above — tolling  church-bell,  the  clear 
peal  of  the  hunter's  horn,  the  tones  of  harp  and  violin, 
the  flourish  of  trumpet,  the  clangor  of  cymbals,  of  fife 
and  drum  and  bugle.  Barring  a  slight  tendency  to  melo- 
dramatic mannerism,  these  musical  sounds  are  intro- 
duced with  good  effect.  The  same  is  true  of  the  employ- 
ment of  certain  other  artificial  sounds — the  deafening  din 
of  cannon  and  musketry,  the  clash  of  swords,  the  clank 
of  spurs  and  armor.  Finally  there  is  repeated  reference 
to  rattling  or  slamming  door,  jarring  or  creaking  gate, 
pounding  hammer;  to  the  noise  of  footsteps,  to  the  beat 
of  horses'  hoofs.  We  shall  consider  these  various  kinds 
of  sounds  in  the  order  indicated. 

Wind  and  Storm 

In  our  illustrative  passages  thus  far  cited  there  is  a 
preponderance  of  the  sounds  that  accompany  wind  and 


SOUNDS  187 

storm.  In  the  lyrics  as  a  whole  these  storm  sounds  con- 
stitute a  large  percentage  of  the  auditory  sensations  to 
which  Hebbel  resorts.  The  tremendous  sweep  and  power 
of  the  wind  and  its  storm  allies  seemed  to  inspire  a  rever- 
ent awe  in  his  soul.  As  he  listened  to  the  howling  of  the 
winds  one  stormy  night  in  January,  1839,  he  was  stirred 
with  a  vivid  sense  of  the  necessity  of  sorrow  in  human 
life.  And  this  is  the  germinating  thought  of  the  two 
poems  Zu  Pferd  (January,  1839)  (VI,  149),  and  Uner- 
grundlicher  Schmerz  (September,  1841)  (VI,  293), 
with  their  spirit  of  splendid  defiance  and  dogged  effort.36 
In  the  poem  Bei  einem  Gewitter  (VII,  124),  he  expressed 
longing  for  the  energy  of  the  elements.  The  terror 
awakened  by  re-echoing  thunder  suggested  to  Hebbel  the 
theme  of  several  of  his  poems — Flocken  22  ff.  (VII, 
45) ;  Gott  1-8  (VII,  77).  Wind  and  storm  constitute  the 
initial  chord  of  the  passionate  poems  Der  alien  Goiter 
Abendmahl  (VII,  132),  Sturmabend  (VI,  143),  Rausche, 
Wind!  (VII,  178).  For  the  murmuring,  low-voiced 
zephyrs  Hebbel  had  an  equal  fondness :  Das  Kind  25 
(VII,  66),  Rosa  65  (VII,  28),  Die  Nacht  19-20  (VII, 
26),  An  Laura  34  (VII,  50),  Der  S chafer  4-6  (VII, 
113).  Finally,  as  we  have  seen  from  the  illustrations, 
wind  and  storm  repeatedly  serve  as  symbols  to  objectify 
or  particularize  the  relentless  powers  of  life,  which  toy 
with  man  and  his  hopes;  and  from  all  these  references 
to  wind  and  storm  the  element  of  sound  is  rarely  lack- 
ing.37 


36  Cf.  Werner,  VII,  260;  303.    Also  Tgb.  II,  2641. 

37  In  the  lines  entitled  "Der  lieben  Mama  von  Titi,"  a  term 
associated  with  storm  wind  is  well  employed  to  characterize  the 
romping,  boisterous  activity  of  the  healthy  child : 

"  Ich  bin  nicht  mehr  ein  Kind, 
Nicht  mehr  ein  Sause-Wind," 

Is.  3-4  (VII,  237) 


188        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Sea  and  Stream;  Woods,  Foliage,  Flowers 

The  remaining  elemental  sounds  (e.g.  waves,  murmur- 
ing spring  or  brook,  rustling  leaves  and  the  like)  illus- 
trate almost  without  exception  Hebbel's  recourse  to 
sound  as  Stimmungsmittel.  Here  quality  and  volume  are 
nicely  adjusted  to  the  prevailing  mood.  A  classification 
according  to  volume  is  possible  here. 

A.  Sea  and  Stream,  (a)  Soft,  low  tones;  (b)  mod- 
erately loud;  (c)  loud,  deafening. 

(a)  "das  Wasserlein  rieselt  so  traurig":  Haideknabe 
64    (VI,  166).     "leiser  scheint  der  Fluss  zu  wallen": 
Opfer    des    Friihlings    5    (VI,    217).      "selbst    muntre 
Bache  springen  hier  nicht,  noch  schwatzt  ein  Quell" :  Ein 
Wald    25-6    (VI,    397).      "in    des    Baches    rieselnden 
Wogen":  Romanze  36  (VII,  26).     "wie  durch  Gefilde 
ein  murmelnder  Bach":  Lied  der  Geister  22  (VII,  63). 

(b)  "Verworren  hort  man  dazwischen  der  Wogen 
dumpf  Geroll":  Das  Haus  am  Meer  9-10   (VI,  270). 
"dumpfer  erdrohnen  die  Wogen":  Romanze  54    (VII, 
26).     "die  Wogen  drohnen  dumpf  und  schwer":  Der 
Ringl  (VII,  59). 

(c)  "Sie  trotzen  dem  Tosen  der  Wellen":  Sie  seh'n 
sich  nicht  wieder  14-5  (VI,  212).     "Allheilig  Meer,  es 
donnern  deine  Klange":  Auf  dem  Meer  1   (VI,  251). 
"Ich  sehe  des  Meeres  Tosen":  Haus  am  Meer  33  (VI, 
270).     ".  .  .  .  die  schwarze   Schlucht   in   der   es   ewig 
braust,  weil  sie  .  .  .  .  der  wildeste  Strom  durchsaust": 
Vater   und   Sohn   16-20   (VI,  427).     "stark  rollen  die 
Wogen    ans    Ufer    hin":    Romanze    46-7     (VII,    26). 
".  .  .  .  in  die  brausende  Meerflut":  Flocken  84   (VII, 
44).    "Wie  rauschen  wild  die  Wogen  und  stiirzen  jach 
daher":  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  3   (VII,  90). 
"Wie   Meeresbrausen" :  Der  alten  Gotter  Abendmahl  30 
(VII,  132). 


SOUNDS  189 

B.  Woods,  Foliage,  Flowers,  (a)  Soft,  low  tones; 
(b)  moderately  loud. 

(a)  "Die  Blatter  fliistern  so  traurig":   Haideknabe 
63  (VI,  166).    ".  .  .  .  umrauscht  von  Palm'  und  Tama- 
risk": Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  38  (VI,  241).    "Abend- 
lispel":   Das   abgeschiedene   Kind,   etc.,   27    (VI,  294). 
(die  Blumen)  "lispeln  leise":  Die  Nacht  15  (VII,  26). 
".  .  .  .  neigen,  Ruhe  sauselnd,  Ros'  und  Myrthe  sich": 
An    Laura    25-6    (VII,    51).      "So    sauseln    Blumlein, 
kaum  bewegt":  Rosa  65  (VII,  28).    "lispelt  sie"  (i.e.  die 
Blume)  :  Flocken  59  (VII,  44). 

(b)  "Sie  (i.e.  die  Walder)   rauschen  oder  sauseln, 
zum  Liede  gleich  erregt":  Ein  Wald  5-6    (VI,   397). 
"Brudermorder,  ruft  die  Blume,  Brudermorder,  rauscht 
das  Laub":  Kains  Klage  26-7  (VII,  10).     ".  .  .  .  Eich' 
und   Tanne   kracht":    Der  alten    Cotter   Abendmahl   3 
(VII,  132). 

Human  Voice 

In  Die  Sprache  (VI,  323),  Hebbel  pays  an  eloquent 
tribute  to  speech — "the  greatest  miracle" — through 
which  alone  all  other  miracles  become  possibilities  for 
the  spirit;  through  which  the  spirit  is  liberated  from  the 
curse  of  incommunicable  aloofness,  sodden  isolation; 
through  whose  music  the  disintegrating  units  of  self- 
dissection  are  concentered  and  united. 

For  a  poet  of  broad  human  sympathies,  the  human 
voice,  too,  has  an  important  function,  the  human  voice 
with  its  tonal  variety  and  its  wealth  of  subtle  modula- 
tions. Where  interest  centres  so  largely  in  the  soul 
experience  of  definite  personages,  either  the  experience 
of  the  poet  himself  or  of  characters  in  certain  distinct 
situations,  the  vocal  utterances  that  accompany  such 
experience  assume  commensurate  significance.  Alto- 


190       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

gather  apart  from  their  musical  quality — which  is  a 
variable  factor — human  vocal  sounds  are  of  great  im- 
portance to  poetry  through  their  teleological  capacity  as 
media  of  emotional  processes.  Hebbel  resorts  constantly 
to  reproductions  of  human  sounds  as  a  substantial 
objective  aid  to  subjective  portrayal.  Usually  his  char- 
acters speak  directly  and  a  verbal  realism  distinguishes 
their  speech ;  but  even  in  passages  where  utterance  is 
given  only  in  substance,  the  physical  concomitants  are 
so  carefully  and  vividly  noted  that  the  effect  is  often 
quite  as  strong  as  though  the  speech  were  given  verbatim : 

1.  77    "  Zieh  dir  nun  die  Nadel  aus  den  Haaren, 
Rufe  den  Geliebten,  laut  und  deutlich, 
Und  durchstich  dies  Bild,  dann  wirst  du  brautlich 
Ihn  umfangen  und  ihn  dir  bewahren. 

Schweigt,  ihr  Donner !  Prassle  noch  nicht,  Regen, 
Dass  ich  noch  den  Einen  laut  vernehme, 
Ob  er  auch  des  Herzens  Schlag  mir  lahme 
Und  der  Pulse  feuriges  Bewegen! 

1.  89       Endlich  ziickt  sie  die,  und — meine  Sinne 

Reissen! — ruft — hinein!     Zu  ihren  Fiissen! — 
Ruft  mich  selbst  mit  Worten,  stammelnd-sussen, 
Als  den  Einen,  den  sie  heimlich  minne! — 

Liebeszauber,  Is.  77-84;  89-92  (VI,  156) 

Such  utterance  whether  direct  or  indirect  partakes  of 
appreciable  sensuous  quality  only  when  attended  by  con- 
comitants that  are  themselves  distinctly  sensuous.  The 
bare  statement  "Sie  ruft  mich  hinein  zu  ihren  Fiissen" 
has  only  remote  if  any  vocal  associations:  but  when  in 
the  next  line  the  statement  is  repeated  with  the  appended 
"mit  Worten,  stammelnd-sussen,"  this  indirectly  men- 
tioned utterance  falls  fairly  within  the  domain  of  sound, 


SOUNDS  191 

for  it  is  attended  by  distinct  and  vivid  reference  to  the 
tonal  quality  and  volume  of  the  utterance.  The  Bible  is 
rich  in  allusions  to  vocal  demonstration.  Frequently  the 
shouting,  singing  or  thanksgiving  there  recorded  are 
simply  formal  steps  in  an  extended  narrative  and  accord- 
ingly fail  to  awaken  sensory  excitement  in  the  average 
reader.  At  times,  however,  such  Scriptural  passages  have 
an  unmistakably  sensuous  power  and  stimulate  reproduc- 
tions of  auditory  experience.  Thus  the  third  chapter  of 
Ezra  describes  how  the  priests  and  Levites  and  chief 
fathers  "wept  with  a  loud  voice ;  and  many  shouted  aloud 
for  joy:  so  that  the  people  could  not  discern  the  noise 
of  the  shout  of  joy  from  the  noise  of  the  weeping  of  the 
people:  for  the  people  shouted  with  a  loud  shout,  and 
the  noise  was  heard  afar  off."  Of  this  sort  are  a  very 
large  majority  of  the  vocal  passages  in  Hebbel's  poems. 
His  personages  are  often  demonstrative.  The  expres- 
sion of  their  feelings  takes  the  form  of  a  song  or  a 
prayer,  they  give  vent  to  their  moods  in  laughter  and 
weeping,  in  groans  or  sighs,  in  shouts  of  anger,  enthu- 
siasm or  surprise.  Where  such  vocal  concomitants  occur, 
or  where  utterance  of  the  characters  is  intensified  by 
some  qualifying  particle  expressive  of  sound,  there  is 
added  an  appreciable  sensuous  quality  that  may  not  be 
ignored. 

Obviously  the  sound  feature  is  not  present  in  like 
degree  wherever  the  human  voice  is  involved.  Sound 
is  least  palpable  in  instances  of  concerted  vocal  demon- 
stration such  as:  "man  jubelt  iiberall,"  "das  ganze 
Deutschland  jauchzt  Euch  zu,"  "Der  lauten  Freude 
Kehle."  Such  phrases  awaken  faint  sensuous  associa- 
tion primarily  because  they  are  so  frequently  employed 
in  conventional  metaphors  and  have  accordingly  lost 
much  of  their  original  ring  and  timbre.  Yet  even  here, 


192        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

despite  the  inevitable  association  with  hackneyed  stock 
phrases,  the  sounds  are  not  purely  abstractions ;  the  tonal 
element,  though  dulled  by  repeated  generalization,  is  not 
altogether  extinct. 

With  this  generalized  vocal  demonstration  must  be 
associated  instances  of  more  specific  vocal  utterances,  in 
which  terms  like  erklingen,  ertonen,  erschallen  occur  with 
varying  degrees  of  sensuousness,  sometimes  possessing 
tonal  quality  hardly  more  appreciable  than  would  be  true 
of  sagen,  sprechen,  entstehen,  beginnen.  Such  expres- 
sions as  erklingen,  etc.,  originally  awakened  sensuous  re- 
actions associated  with  sound.  Like  the  instances  of  con- 
certed vocal  demonstration,  however,  they  have  become 
blunted  through  repetition,  so  that  the  impression  of 
sensuous  tonality  that  they  once  conveyed  is  now 
largely  absent.  It  seems  unnecessary  therefore  to  in- 
clude such  instances  in  our  illustrations  of  the  human 
vocal  sounds. 

An  explanation  must  be  submitted  respecting  group 
(b)  below,  containing  examples  of  vocal  demonstration 
without  qualifying  particle.  There  are  grouped  together 
here  examples  of  vocal  utterances  in  which  the  sound 
element  is  not  made  more  prominent  by  presence  of  an 
adjective,  adverb  or  other  qualifying  particle  indicative 
of  the  tone  or  quality  of  that  utterance.  Obviously  there 
will  be  grades  and  degrees  of  sensuousness  here.  Terms 
like  flehen,  klagen,  rufen,  beten  do  not  possess  the  prop- 
erty of  sound  in  the  same  measure  with  murmeln, 
seufzen,  weinen,  briillen.  The  class  of  words  typified  by 
klagen,  rufen,  etc.,  is  likely  to  be  attended  by  a  state- 
ment of  the  motive  or  burden  of  the  lament,  the  cry,  and 
the  prayer ;  this  motive  then  absorbs  our  attention  to  the 
partial  exclusion  of  the  tonal  associations,  whereas  mur- 
meln, seufsen,  weinen,  etc.,  mingle  their  vibrations  ap- 


SOUNDS  193 

preciably  with  the  motive  ascribed,  and  sound  and  sense 
thus  sustain  a  complementary  relation. 

The  following  list  of  human  vocal  sounds  occurring  in 
the  songs  embraces  only  the  more  characteristic  and  typi- 
cal examples.  The  basis  of  classification  is  as  follows: 
(a)  includes  the  vocal  instances  whose  distinct  and  pro- 
nounced sound  value  is  due  to  special  indication  of  the 
quality  or  volume  of  the  sounds;  (b)  includes  the  pas- 
sages in  which  the  sound  element  is  appreciable  but 
is  not  further  reinforced  by  any  explicit  description  of 
the  volume  or  tone  of  voice : 

(a)  "Rufe  den  Geliebten,  laut  und  deutlich  .... 
Ruft  mich  mit  Worten,  stammelnd-siissen" :  Liebeszauber 
78;  91  (VI,  156).  "Er  spricht's  im  barschen  Tone" :  Ein 
Dithmarsischer  Bauer  33  (VI,  160).  "Die  Polen  sollen 
leben !  ruf  t  er  mit  lautem  Mund" :  Die  Polen  sollen 
leben  31-2  (VI,  170).  "Und  sanft  und  schmeichelnd 
ruft  es  aus" :  Das  Kind  9  (VI,  189).  "Wenn's  stolz  und 
breit  aus  Bettlers  Mund  erschallt":  Ein  Spatziergang  in 
Paris  74  (VI,  241).  "Der  unsrer  Sprache  rauhen 
Klang  ....  vergessen  machte" :  Prolog  zu  Goethes 
hundertjahriger  Geburtsfeier  29  (VI,  298).  "Ich  ruf 
es  treu  hinaus  in  das  Getose  der  Millionen  wildver- 
worr'ner  Stimmen,  gleichgiiltig,  ob  sie  jauchzen,  ob  er- 
grimmen":  Die  Erde  und  der  Mensch  6-8  (VI,  303). 
"Und  statt  des  Fluchs  werd'  ich  in  vollen  Choren  .... 
der  Menschheit  Jubel  horen" :  Die  Erde  und  der  Mensch 
79-80  (VI,  303).  "Sie  wollten  eben  lauten  Spott  er- 
heben":  Ein  Bild  10  (VI,  326).  "So  ruft  der  Graf  in 
zorn'gem  Ton":  Herr  und  Knecht  4  (VI,  388).  "Man 
hort  ein  Hollen-Gelachter,  dazwischen  den  singenden 
Wachter":  Der  Ring  103-4  (VI,  390).  "Jeden  Wan- 
d'rer  weis't  der  Spaher  gleich  zuriick  mit  lautem  Schall, 
....  umsonst  erfleht  sie  Gnade,  ihre  Stimme  ist  zu 


194       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

schwach  ....  1st  das  Grassliche  geschehen  ....  ruft 
sie  wild  ....  so  fluch'  ich  Dir" :  Der  Tod  kennt  den 
Weg  37-8;  87-8;  93-4  (VI,  394).  "Ihr  ....  fliistert 
laut  genug  ....  Da  scholl's  aus  einem  Munde" :  Ein 
Wald  82,  105  (VI,  397).  "Und  gleich  erschallt  ein 
Klagelied":  Zum  Schiller- Jubilaum  19  (VI,  407). 
"Horcht,  wie's  in  ....  immer  vollern  Accorden  durch 
das  Reich  erklingt" :  An  Seine  Majestat  Konig  Wilhelm 
I,  etc.,  141-2  (VI,  412).  "Sie  ....  lacht  gellend  auf 
und  weint":  Was  ist  das  fur  ein  Frauenbild  6  (VI, 
418).  "spricht  mit  heller  Stimme  ....  der  Kranke 
fliistert  schaudernd":  Der  Bramine  11;  19  (VI,  434). 
"flustert  halb  mit  Thranen":  Lustig  tritt,  etc.,  49 
(VI,  437).  "Und  des  Kaisers  Bruder  flustert":  Ein 
Griechischer  Kaiser  39  (VI,  439).  "ohne  bange 
Klagen":  Zum  Licht  12  (VII,  3).  "seufz't  mit  leiser 
Stimme":  Laura  7  (VII,  19).  "Wie  Laura,  sprachlos, 
Worte  des  Abschieds  seufz't":  Die  Nacht  15-6  (VII, 
26).  "Seufz'te  still,  doch  tief":  Elegie  6  (VII,  22). 
"Und  alle  preisen  ....  mit  lautem  Gesang":  Lied  der 
Geister  9-10  (VII,  63).  "die  Stimme  hohl,  die  einst  so 
lieblich  klang  und  voll":  Rosa  23-4  (VII,  28).  "Und 
....  ein  Engel  schwebt  herab  ....  und  weint  in  seiner 
Harf e  Ton" :  Rosa  59-62.  "lispelt  ....  mit  melodischer 
Stimm'":  Liebe  17-8  (VII,  36).  "suss,  wie  Wiegen- 
lieder,  die  dem  Saugling  seine  Mutter  singt":  An 
einen  Verkannten  13-4  (VII,  40).  "Das  keucht  die 
Jungfrau  dumpf  und  hohl":  Der  Tanz  24  (VII,  72). 
"Entquoll  auch  schon  und  milde  ein  Klang  der  stummen 
Brust!":  Wiirde  des  Volks  15-6  (VII,  75).  "Da  betet 
laut  der  Knabe":  Die  Weihnachtsgabe  9  (VII,  78). 
"schrie  doch,  wie  im  Wahnsinns-Traum" :  Ein  Bild  vom 
Mittelalter  35  (VII,  79).  "Der  Herzog  ruft's  .... 
und  spricht  mit  dumpfer  Stimme":  Des  Konigs  Jagd 


SOUNDS  195 

33-5  (VII,  85).  "sang  ein  Lied,  voll  Lust  und  Wonne": 
Ritter  Fortunat  2  (VII,  88).  "so  ruft  mit  starker 
Stimme  der  tapf're  Isebrant":  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hem- 
mingstedt  75  (VII,  90).  "Unheimliches  Gewimmer 
dringt  aus  der  Sarge  Chor":  Der  alten  Cotter  Abend- 
mahl  27  (VII,  132).  "Und  ich  rief  aus  mit  Grau'n 
und  Schmerz":  Wiedersehen  48  (VII,  134).  "Da  kroch 
mirglatt  in's  Ohr  ein  frech  Gefluster":  Traum  68  (VII, 
166).  "die  Stimme  ....  die  mir  im  Tiefsten  wieder- 
hallt":  Zum  letzten  Mai  5-6  (VII,  147). 

(b)  (Vocal  demonstration  without  qualifying  parti- 
cle.) "Liebe!  singt  der  Knabe,"  etc.:  Ein  nachtliches 
Echo  5-6  (see  this  entire  poem,  VI,  150).  "Jener  ballt 
die  Hand,  verrochelnd"  :  Vater  unser  45  (VI,  169).  "den 
Zauberspruch  murmelnd":  Die  Spanierin  54-5  (VI, 
176).  "Man  jubelt  iiberall":  Die  heilige  Drei  116  (VI, 
181).  "Die  dunklen  Worte,  die  vorher  erklangen,  .... 
Da  jauchzte  ich,"  etc. :  Ein  f riihes  Liebesleben  27 ;  40 
(VI,  199).  "ich  schaudre,  jauchze  oder  weine":  Auf 
eine  Unbekannte,  23  (VI,  206).  "Wenn  du  jetzt  vor 
Sehnsucht  weinst" :  Auf  ein  altes  Madchen  3  (VI,  207). 
"statt  zu  jauchzen,"  etc. :  Stanzen  auf  ein  Sicilianisches 
Schwesterpaar  24  (VI,  215).  "So  hatte  er  bei  Austerlitz 
gebriillt!":  Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  87  (VI,  241). 
"Dazwischen  viel  Gesang,  Gejauchz,  Gequiek" :  Ein 
Spatziergang  in  Paris  64.  "Sie  schieden  mit  Getummel" : 
Geburtsnacht-Traum  50  (VI,  255).  "Beten  hore  ich  und 
singen":  Das  Venerabile,  etc.,  20  (VI,  286).  "Dann 
soil  der  Freiheit  mein  Paan  erschallen":  Mein  Paan 
12  (VI,  316).  "durch  dein  frommstes  Singen":  An 
ein  schones  Kind  13  (VI,  321).  "Der  Jiingling  aber 
flucht  und  schnaubt":  Herr  und  Knecht  17  (VI,  388). 
"Der  Sterbende  blickt  iiber  sich  und  murmelt  noch" : 
Herr  und  Knecht  52-3.  "Mich  stort  der  Wachter  mit 


196        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Singen!":  Der  Ring  20  (VI,  390).  "Auf  dem  Thurme 
steht  ein  Wachter,  dessen  Stimme  weit  erklingt":  Der 
Tod  kennt  den  Weg  33-4  (VI,  394).  "Das  ganze 
Deutschland  jauchzt  Euch  zu":  An  Seine  Majestat 
Konig  Wilhelm  I,  etc.,  138  (VI,  412).  "da  er- 
scholl  ein  Jubelschrei" :  Diocletian  33  (VI,  429). 
"Jauchzt  und  tanzt":  Ein  Griechischer  Kaiser  36  (VI, 
439).  "fleh'  zu  Gott  dem  Herrn  ....  drum  ist  ihr 
Fleh'n  erhoret":  Laura  26;  53  (VII,  19).  "Und  kla- 
gend  liess  man  uns  ein":  Er  und  ich  18  (VII,  24). 
"Und  hebt  ihre  Noth  zu  klagen  an":  Der  Zauberer  6 
(VII,  51).  "Wo  tonet  kein  Jubel,  kein  Weh  und  kein 
Ach!":  Lied  der  Geister  40  (VII,  63).  "Da  wimmert 
und  achzet  das  Madchen  sehr":  Die  Kindesmorderin  25 
(VII,  68).  "murmelt  tausend  Fluche":  Des  Konigs 
Jagd53  (VII,  85),  etc. 

Animals 

(a)  Birds.  Of  the  vocal  sound  emitted  by  animals, 
Hebbel  makes  most  frequent  mention  of  the  songs  and 
calls  of  the  birds.  Without  exhibiting  the  close  obser- 
vation of  the  bird  lover,  Hebbel  yet  plainly  reveals  an 
affectionate  interest  in  the  music  of  these  winged  singers. 
He  loved  the  birds  for  their  own  sakes,  and  he  loved  them 
as  a  part  of  the  all-embracing  life  of  nature.  Song  of 
bird,  the  light  that  shone  from  the  sun  and  from  human 
faces  impressed  him  as  inextricable  parts  of  the  world- 
life.88  These  sacred  creatures  with  their  power  of  flight 


88     "  Und  als  ich  weiter  ging,  und  fern  und  nah' 
Das  frische  Leben  sich  entbinden  sah, 
Im  Lied  der  Vogel,  in  der  Sonne  Licht, 
Und  in  der  Menschen  frohem  Angesicht,"  etc. 

Ein  Spatsiergang  in  Paris,  7-10  (VI,  241) 
Cf.  the  Epigram  "Als  ich  einen  todten  Vogel  fand,"  VI,  377. 


SOUNDS  197 

and  their  gift  of  song  are  especially  adapted  to  lure 
men's  thoughts  away  from  the  earth  and  to  enthrall  the 
very  ears  of  the  angels  in  heaven.  The  words  put  into 
the  lips  of  the  pious  Brahmin  (VI,  434)  may  be  fairly 
taken  as  typical  of  Hebbel's  sympathy  with  animal  life; 
and  particularly  impressive  is  the  reverence  there  pro- 
claimed for  birds: 

"  Ruhr'  mir  nimmer  an  den  Vogel, 

Flugel  wurden  ihm  gegeben, 
Um  mit  seinem  siissen  Liede 

Erd'  und  Himmel  zu  verweben, 
Droben  lauscht  der  Engel  nieder, 

Unten  horcht  mit  freud'gem  Beben 
Ihm  des  Kindes  trunk'ne  Seele, 

Heilig  ist  mir  solch  ein  Leben!" 

Der  Bramine,  33-40  (VI,  434) 

This  passage,  from  the  poem  written  during  what 
proved  to  be  Hebbel's  last  illness,  must  remove  all  sus- 
picion that  the  repeated  allusions  to  the  birds,  to  their 
cries  of  contentment  or  alarm,  are  merely  conventional. 

Hebbel  generally  mentions  the  bird  by  name;  further 
than  this  he  rarely  particularizes,  for  over-minute  obser- 
vation here  was  not  the  poet's  aim.  In  a  few  instances 
he  does  note  particular  details,  he  watches  with  intent 
sympathy  the  ecstasies  or  distresses  of  some  little  song- 
ster. Then  we  have  a  realistic  glimpse  of  bird-ways 
such  as  make  a  morning's  walk  in  the  fields  an  experience 
rich  in  lively  images  and  delightful  reflections.39 

As  descriptive  feature  the  music  of  the  birds  lends  the 
note  indispensable  to  bright  peaceful  landscape,  or  typi- 
fies by  its  quality  the  mood  and  spirit  of  the  time  and  the 


39  Meisengliick    (VI,  284);   Die   Lerche    (VI,  309).     See 
also  Schwalbe  und  Fliege  (VI,  328). 


198        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

season.40    The  birds  herald  by  their  cries  and  signs  of 
distress  the  impending  storm.41 

As  Stimmungsmittel  the  birds'  notes  harmonize  and 
contrast  with  the  mood  portrayed.  In  the  monody  en- 
titled Romanze,  a  solitary  bird  wails  in  sympathy  with 
the  lone  maiden: 


"  Sitzt  auf  dem  Zweige 

Ein  Vogelein, 

Singt  Klagelieder 

So  ganz  allein. 

Und  leise  wimmert,  wie  Todtensang, 
Ihr  trauriges  Lied  den  Wald  entlang." 


"  Was  singst  du,  Voglein, 
Den  Trauersang?" 

Romanze,  10-5;  37-8  (VII,  26) 

The  nightingale's  tones  lull  the  poet  into  a  dream  in 
which  he  forgets  for  a  brief  spell  the  cares  of  his  earthly 
existence.42 

But  the  birds  are  not  always  friendly  to  man.  Their 
presence  is  sometimes  ominous  of  evil.  They  may  even 
become  accomplices  of  crime  in  the  poet's  morbid  fancy. 
They  are  made  to  act  in  collusion  with  the  powers  of 
darkness  and  by  their  singing  to  lure  the  listener  to  his 


40  Kind    am    Brunnen   3-4    (VI,    180);    Ein    Wald   25-32 
(VI,   397);    Friihlingslied    12-4    (VI,   154);    Ein   Kind  3,   25-8 
(VII,  74)  ;  Auf  eine  Sangerin  1-4  (VI,  382). 

41  Ein  Dithmarsischer  Bauer  53-6  (VI,  160). 

42  "  Ich  legte  mich  unter  den  Lindenbaum, 

In  dem  die  Nachtigall  schlug, 

Sie  sang  mich  in  den  siissesten  Traum, 

Der  wahrte  auch  lange  genug." 

Voriiber,  1-4  (VI,  417) 


SOUNDS  199 

destruction.43  The  hoarse  croaking  of  the  raven  affords 
the  traditionally  appropriate  accompaniment  for  grue- 
some and  ghastly  deeds.44 

The  birds  may  serve  merely  as  a  technical  device. 
Thus  in  Haideknabe  (VI,  166),  with  its  description  of 
cold-blooded  murder,  the  enumeration  of  revolting  de- 
tails is  cleverly  avoided  by  the  introduction  of  chattering 
raven  and  moaning  dove  :45 

"  Und  f ragt  ihr,  wie's  weiter  gekommen  sei  ? 
So  fragt  zwei  Vogel,  sie  sassen  dabei, 
Der  Rabe  verweilte  gar  heiter, 
Die  Taube  konnte  nicht  weiter ! 

Der  Rabe  erzahlt,  was  der  Bose  noch  that, 
Und  auch,  wie's  der  Henker  gerochen  hat, 

Die  Taube  erzahlt,  wie  der  Knabe 

Geweint  und  gebetet  habe." 

Der  Haideknabe,  73-80  (VI,  166) 


43     "  Horche  nicht  dem  bunten  Vogel 
Der  zu  Dir  herunter  flotet, 
Denn  ihn  schickt  die  bose  Hexe, 
Die  durch  ihre  Kiisse  todtet. 

Doch,  er  bleibt,  wie  trunken,  stehen, 
Und  der  Vogel  schwingt  sich  nieder, 
Und  er  hiipft  ihm  auf  die  Achsel 
Und  beginnt  noch  stiss're  Lieder." 

Der  Zauberhain,  17-24   (VI,  387) 

"  Du  wiiste  Eul'  im  Eibenbaum, 
Du  krachztest  ihn  in  diesen  Traum, 
Nun  fangt  die  ham'sche  Dohle  an," 

's  ist  Mitternacht,  27-9  (VI,  174) 

44Wohin  so  flink  46  (VI,  441);  Wiedersehen  46  (VII, 
134).  Cf.  also  Waldbilder  61-4  (VI,  223). 

45  To  a  very  limited  extent  the  noises  of  insects  are  intro- 
duced similarly  to  the  sounds  of  the  birds.  The  insect  noises 
enter  perceptibly  into  the  fabric  of  the  song  as  aids  in  suggesting 
the  peculiar  temper  and  tone  of  a  scene,  e.g.  "das  Summen  eines 
Kafers" :  Waldbilder  133-4  (VI,  223)  :  "Durch  Bienen  eingesurrt 
und  and' re  Summer":  An  ein  schones  Kind  6  (VI,  321),  etc. 


200        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

(b)  Dog,  horse,  miscellaneous.  Although  the  num- 
ber of  animals  of  various  sorts  that  enter  into  Hebbel's 
songs  is  considerable,  yet  comparatively  little  reference 
is  made  to  their  vocal  demonstrations.  The  limited  voice 
equipment  of  the  animals  outside  of  the  birds  undoubt- 
edly in  part  accounts  for  this.  Accordingly  the  dog's 
yelps  and  barks  alone  occur  with  any  noticeable  fre- 
quency, the  dog  being  among  vocally  demonstrative  ani- 
mals that  one  which  is  most  likely  to  have  played  some 
part  in  the  poet's  impressions  and  experiences.  The 
horse — an  animal  for  which  Hebbel  gives  evidence  of 
cherishing  a  deep  fondness — occasionally  contributes  the 
thunder  and  beat  of  his  hoofs  to  the  array  of  sensuous 
effects  in  the  songs ;  barely  two  instances  occur  of  sound 
issuing  from  the  horse's  vocal  organs.  As  for  the  other 
animals — the  references  to  their  characteristic  sounds  are 
practically  negligible.48  We  include  the  few  scattering 
instances  merely  in  order  that  our  list  of  animal  sounds 
may  be  complete : 

Dog.  "Bellt  der  erste  kleine  Hund":  Der  Kirschen- 
strauss  42  (VI,  401).  "Bellte  er  (i.e.  der  Hund)  mit 
heller  Stimme,"  etc.:  Schau'  ich  in  die  tiefste  Feme  27 
(VI,  408).  "Und  er  hort  den  kleinen  Hund" :  Das  Wie- 
dersehen  31  (VII,  109).  "Die  Dogge  klafft":  Des 
Konigs  Jagd  1  (VII,  85).  "Doch,  wie  der  alte  Hund 
auch  bellt":  Nemesis  7  (VII,  192).  "Und  freut  sich, 
dass  er  nicht  bellen  kann":  Hexen-Ritt  13  (VII,  139). 
Cf.  Des  Konigs  Tod,  14  (VII,  123). 

Horse.  "Mit  krausen  Nustern  priift  das  Ross  die 
Luf t,  dann  wiehert's  muthig" :  Zu  Pf erd !  Zu  Pferd !  6-7 


46  Cf.  Hebbel's  Nibelungen,  Part  II,  Siegfrieds  Tod,  Act 
II,  Scene  1,  Is.  964-5  (IV,  62)  :  "Da  lass'  ich  gleich  zur  Stunde 
alles  schlagen,  was  brummt  und  brullt  und  blokt  und  grunzt  im 
Hof." 


SOUNDS  201 

(VI,  149).     "Es  schnaubt  das  Ross":  Des  Konigs  Tod 
14  (VII,  123). 

Miscellaneous.  "Rascheln  hor'  ich  schon  die 
Schlange":  Der  Bramine  74  (VI,  434).  "Wo  die  Tod- 
tenwiirmer  pochen":  Ein  Griechischer  Kaiser  47  (VI, 
439). 

Musical  Instruments 

"  Wenn  deine  Wunderklange 

Den  Saiten  rasch  entflieh'n 
Und  rauschend  im  Gedrange 

An  mir  voriiberzieh'n : 
Da  wird's  in  Herzenstiefen 

So  wohl  mir  und  so  bang, 
Als  ob  da  drinnen  schliefen 

Viel  Briider  zu  jedem  Klang." 

Auf  eine  Violine,  1-8  (VII,  120)47 

These  lines  evince  a  love  and  an  appreciation  of 
music — a  love  native  and  intense;  an  appreciation  ele- 
mental yet  complex.  To  him  who  comprehends  music  as 
the  most  immediate  expression  of  the  soul's  moods  and 
emotions,  all  nature  becomes  one  mighty  orchestra  in 
which  every  sound,  great  or  small,  plays  its  instrumental 
part.  Every  tone  carries  its  message  to  the  heart,  which 
trembles  in  sweet  response,  as  though  touched  by  invis- 
ible fingers. 

Bells,  Hebbel  seemed  particularly  susceptible  to  the 
charm  of  musical  sounds  when  held  fast  in  the  spell  that 
evening  and  falling  night  cast  over  him.  And  especially 
powerful  were  the  sounds  of  bells  in  stirring  his  soul 
with  memories  and  reflections.  When  the  low  notes  of 


47  "When  a  series  of  tones  is  effectual  in  stimulating 
human  passions  ....  it  suggests  a  living  soul  behind,  partly  re- 
vealed and  partly  mysterious,  with  which  we  enter  into  a  kind  of 
sympathy."  Bain,  The  Emotions  and  the  Will,  pp.  236-7. 


STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tolling  bells  floated  through  the  air  from  the  distance, 
mingling  with  the  wistful  lights  of  autumn  and  the 
witching  impressions  of  evening,  then  there  crept  over 
his  soul  that  twilight  mood  that  seemed  his  most  con- 
genial element: 

"  Wenn  ich  Abends  einsam  gehe 
Und  die  Blatter  fallen  sehe, 
Finsternisse  nieder  wallen, 
Ferae,  f  romme  Glocken  hallen : 

Ach,  wie  viele  sanfte  Bilder, 
Immer  inniger  und  milder, 
Schatten  langst  vergangner  Zeiten, 
Seh'  ich  dann  voriiber  gleiten. 

Was  ich  in  den  fernsten  Stunden 
Oft  nur  halb  bewuszt,  empfunden, 
Dammert  auf  in  Seel'  und  Sinnen, 
Mich  noch  einmal  zu  umspinnen." 

Spatsiergang  am  Herbstabend,  1-12  (VI,  231) 
Cf.  Heimkehr  (VII,  155) 

Generally  sombre  are  the  moods  awakened  in  Hebbel's 
breast  by  the  tolling  of  bells.  They  seemed  to  stir  pre- 
vailingly serious  associations  and  to  be  best  suited  to  his 
darker  musings.48  So  the  peals  that  strike  our  ears 
most  frequently  in  the  poems  are  the  ominous  strokes  of 
the  steeple  clock  at  the  mysterious  hour  of  midnight;49 
or  the  dismal  tolling  that  accompanies  solemn  religious 


48 ".  .  .  .  die  Glocke  sanft-klagend  erschallt" :  Der  erste 
und  der  letzte  Kuss  21  (VII,  241).  "Wird  zum  Weltgericht  die 
Glocke  tonen" :  An  einen  Verkannten  18  (VII,  40).  'ein  Noth- 
gelaute  hallt  schon  dumpf  von  manchem  Thurm" :  Vater  unser 
3-4  (VI,  169).  Also  Heimkehr  3-5  (VII,  155). 

49  "Der  Glockenthurm  thut  eben  die  zwolfte  Stunde  kund": 
Die  Polen  sollen  leben  29-30  (VI,  170).  "Eben  schlagt  die 
zwolfte  Stunde":  Die  Spanierin  29  (VI,  176).  "Vom  Thurme 
schlug  es,  dumpf  und  bang":  Geburtsnacht-Traum  49  (VI,  255). 


SOUNDS  203 

ceremonies.50  The  peaceful  Sabbath  or  evening  bell,  the 
peals  that  summon  to  joyous  festivities  are  not  so 
common.51  This  consistent  introduction  of  bell  notes 
under  essentially  similar  conditions  of  scene  or  senti- 
ment does  not  convey  the  slightest  impression  of  techni- 
cal mannerism.  The  impression  is  distinctly  that  of 
spontaneous  association  rooted  in  genuine  experiences, 
"seelische  Vorgange,"  which  are  of  the  very  bone  and 
fibre  of  the  poet's  own  temperament. 

Other  Musical  Instruments.  It  is  in  the  introduction 
of  musical  sounds  other  than  those  of  the  bells  that 
the  unsympathetic  reader  might  detect  some  reasonable 
ground  for  the  charge  of  theatricism.  We  can  readily 
imagine  the  cold  critic  asserting  with  academic  gravity 
that  the  trumpet,  the  hunting  horn,  the  harp,  the  violin 
are  not  always  so  successfully  employed,  that  their  struc- 
tural quality  is  not  altogether  convincing.  The  fact  that 
descriptive  orchestral  music  has  become  a  recognized 
adjunct  of  theatrical  productions  accounts  in  large  degree 
for  this  impression.  With  the  analog  of  modern  "stage 
music"  in  mind,  readers  of  Hebbel  with  over-keen  audi- 
tory nerves  might  detect  "deliberate  design"  in  the 
sounds  of  the  horns,  although  they  might  see  no  "un- 
pleasant monotony"  in  the  prevailingly  sombre  tones  of 
the  bell.  And  confessedly,  there  is  that  about  the  trum- 
pets' suddenly  breaking  the  silence  that  suggests  cold 
calculation,  something  that  calls  up  the  mechanical 
manipulation  of  similar  orchestral  effects  on  the  modern 
stage.  The  flourish  of  trumpets  that  announces  the  ar- 
rival of  the  imperial  heralds  in  Die  heilige  Drei  is  in 


5°Auf  dem  Kirchhof  3-7  (VII,  146);  Traum  14-7  (VII, 
166)  ;  Der  heilige  Johannes  58,  88  (VII,  210). 

51  Bubensonntag  3-4  (VI,  198)  ;  Spatziergang  am  Herbst- 
abend  4  (VI,  231);  Gretchen  13  (VII,  95) ;  Wenn  die  Luft- 
ballone  steigen  16  (VII,  203). 


204       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

essentials  little  different  from  the  orchestral  explosions 
that  herald  the  entrance  of  the  modern  comic  opera 
queen : 

"  Es  schlagt  die  letzte  Stunde ! 

Da  tont  Trompetenschall, 

Das  schmettert  in  die  Runde, 

Man  jubelt  uberall. 

Mit  Fahnen,  schwarz-gold-rothen, 
Kommt  dann  ein  Zug  sogleich, 
Aus  Frankfurt  sind's  die  Boten 
Vom  heil'gen  rom'schen  Reich." 

Die  heilige  Drei,  113-120  (VI,  181  )52 

Yet  even  in  a  passage  like  this,  where,  if  anywhere,  the 
critic's  objections  are  valid,  much  may  be  said  in  exten- 
uation. There  can  be  no  valid  objection  on  general  prin- 
ciples to  the  use  of  such  musical  sounds.  That  use  is 
perfectly  legitimate,  and,  kept  within  proper  bounds, 
could  never  provoke  unfavorable  comment.  Any  odious 
associations  owe  their  origin  largely,  if  not  entirely,  to 
the  abuse  of  orchestral  music  as  a  modern  stage  adjunct, 
the  overdoing  of  that  which,  done  with  judicious  modera- 
tion, could  not  fail  to  raise  the  standard  of  artistic  effect. 
We  claim  for  Hebbel  unconditionally  this  judicious 
moderation.  As  employed  by  him  the  harp  and  the 
trumpet  are  natural  helps  toward  a  reasonable  realism; 
he  should  not  be  held  accountable  if  later  extravagance 
has  degraded  honorable  artifice  into  threadbare  theatri- 
cism.53  The  musical  fanfaronade  at  the  imperial  re- 


w  Cf.  also :  Ein  Wald  59  (VI,  397)  ;  Noch  ist  Polen  nicht 
verloren  47,  97-8  (VII,  216)  ;  Traum  16,  56-7,  61,  72-3  (VII,  166)  ; 
Hamburg  17-8  (VII,  222). 

68  The  principle  of  poetic  tempering  operates  here.  "Con- 
templation of  objects  in  the  idea" — the  method  of  poetry — results 
in  gain  as  well  as  loss,  as  compared  with  real  contact  with  ob- 
jects. If  sensuous  facts  become  through  ideation  less  real,  they 
become  also  less  gross;  and  that  which  is  harsh  in  reality  may 
appear  less  so  in  thought. 


SOUNDS  205 

cruiting  quarters,  the  discordant  din  of  rival  playhouse 
bands  contending  for  patronage,  the  flutes  and  fiddles  of 
the  village  fair,  the  merry  jigs  and  the  stirring  martial 
strains  are  all  saved  from  "staginess"  by  their  realistic 
truth;  they  all  enter  vitally  into  lively  or  spectacular 
scenes  that  seem  unthinkable  without  such  musical  ac- 
companiment.54 The  hunter's  horn  acts  like  a  charm 
upon  us,  we  are  ourselves  swept  along  with  the  chase, 
we  share  in  its  fascinating  perils.55  Like  Wagner's  be- 
witching themes  in  emotive  value  are  the  "Waldhorn- 
Klange  aus  dem  Jager-Hauschen,"  which  fill  the  mind  of 
the  lover  with  jealous  imaginings;  or  the  clarion  call  of 
the  mail  coach  that  startles  the  poet  out  of  his  revery 
as  he  watches  the  storm  clouds  plunging  through  the 
night.56 

In  this  connection  might  be  mentioned  sounds  pro- 
duced by  instruments  not  of  a  musical  character ;  instru- 
ments employed  for  a  variety  of  purposes.  Chief  among 


s*  Husaren-Werbung  3-4,  11,  75-6  (VI,  191);  Kin  Spat- 
ziergang  in  Paris  62-3  (VI,  241);  Die  Kirmess  1  (VI,  278); 
Aus  dem  Wienner  Prater  1  (VI,  423)  ;  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hem- 
mingstedt  7,  31-2  (VII,  90);  Wiedersehen  19  (VII,  134); 
Schlachtlied  19  (VII,  136). 

55  "  Und  draussen  schallt  ein  lustig  Horn, 

Es  schnaubt  das  Ross,  die  Dogge  klafft, 
Und  frisch  hinaus  durch  Strauch  und  Dorn 
Sprengt  Alt  und  Jung  in  voller  Kraft." 

Des  Konigs  Tod,  13-6  (VII,  123) 

"  Das  Hifthorn  schallt, 
Nun  in  den  Wald !"  etc. 

Herr  und  Knecht,  7-8  (VI,  388) 

56  "  Nun  lausch'  ich  hinaus  in  die  Nacht. 

Am  Himmel  fliegen  die  Wolken 
Voruber  in  eiligem  Lauf ; 
Ein  Posthorn,  lockend  und  drangend, 
Schallt  plotzlich  zu  mir  herauf." 

Wohin?  4-8  (VII,  151) 
Cf.  also:  Das  Kind  5-7  (VII,  74). 


206        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

such  sounds  are  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the  rattle 
of  musketry,  of  which  there  are  ten  instances.  In 
marked  contrast  with  these  martial  sounds  are  the  noises 
of  hammer  and  saw,  the  rhythmic  whir  of  the  sickle,  the 
busy  clatter  of  the  flail.57  Some  of  these  last-mentioned 
cases  of  sound  employment  are  among  the  very  best  illus- 
trations of  Hebbel's  instinctive  preference  for  sensuous 
media  of  expression.  We  have  justified  Hebbel's  use 
of  musical  sounds  on  the  plea  of  realism ;  we  see  in  them 
examples  of  the  inevitable  selection  of  vital  details.  In 
examples  such  as  the  following,  the  realism  is  less  pre- 
vailing than  the  sense  displayed  of  the  suggestive  quality 
of  certain  sounds  and  their  power  through  association 
to  induce  mental  states  markedly  affective: 

"Da  schmettert's  den  Einen  darnieder":  Die  treuen 
Bruder  4  (VI,  187).  "Knall  auf  Knall,  und  jeder 
Knall  ein  Mann!":  Schlachtlied  3-4  (VII,  136).  "Da 
horten  wir  es  klopf en,  man  hammerte  einen  Sarg" :  Er 
und  ich  15-6  (VII,  24).  "Dumpf  werden  nun  die  Nagel 
eingeschlagen" :  Kinderloos  17  (VII,  162). 


57  Cannon,  etc.  "Dann  greift  er,  .  .  .  .  zur  Biichse,  die 
noch  nicht  knallte":  Die  treuen  Bruder  13-4  (VI,  187).  "schon 
hor'  ich  den  Nothschuss" :  Das  Haus  am  Meer  59  (VI,  270). 
"Was  donnern  die  Kanonen,"  etc. :  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemming- 
stedt  5-6  (VII,  90).  "Und  hor'  doch  dass  die  Schanze  stets  ihre 
Kugeln  speit?"  etc.:  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  66.  "Und 
jauchzenden  Kanonendonner  hallen" :  Traum  17  (VII,  166). 
"es  fallt  ein  Schuss":  Im  Walde  27  (VII,  170).  ".  .  .  .  aus 
dem  Neste  scheucht  der  Knall,"  etc. :  Ein  Hasen-Schicksal  7-8 
(VII,  195).  ".  .  .  .  pufft  ....  knallt  ....  pfeift":  Schlacht- 
lied 17  (VII,  136).  ".  .  .  .  als  der  Schlachtendonner  schallte": 
An  seine  Majestat  Konig  Wilhelm  I,  etc.,  11  (VI,  412).  See  also 
the  allusion  to  clash  of  swords :  "wo  um  mich  die  Schwerter 
klingen" :  Mein  Paan  5  (VI,  316). 

Hammer  and  saw.  "Machtige  Hammerschlage  erdrohnen 
schwer  und  voll ;  Die  Sagen  knarren  und  zischen" :  Das  Haus  am 
Meer  6-8  (VI,  270). 

The  flail.  "Er  drischt  sein  Stroh  noch  weiter  im  lust'gen  Klipp 
und  Klapp":  Das  Korn  auf  dem  Dache  35-6  (VI,  190). 


SOUNDS  207 

Sounds  from  Miscellaneous  Sources 

It  would  be  difficult  to  devise  a  basis  of  classification 
that  will  divide  material  of  such  bulk  as  Hebbel's  sound 
terms  into  mutually  exclusive  groups.  Our  analysis  can 
not  avoid  a  certain  overlapping  of  the  various  divisions 
and  a  residue  of  odds  and  ends,  sounds  of  various  kinds 
and  miscellaneous  sources,  which  are  either  distinct  from 
any  of  the  foregoing  groups  or  cannot  be  brought  under 
any  definite  descriptive  head. 

We  may  glean  from  these  odds  and  ends  a  few  in- 
stances of  sounds  that  admit  of  rough  classification 
under  subheads  by  virtue  of  a  certain  external  kinship. 
For  example,  eleven  passages  have  reference  to  knock- 
ing at  the  door,  tapping  on  the  window,  or  to  jarring, 
creaking,  grating  door  or  gate.58 

Eight  passages  refer  to  the  thumping  of  the  heart 
against  its  walls,  or  the  throbbing  of  the  temples.59  Four 


58  "Es  krachen  Thiir  und  Thor" :  Liebeszauber  29-30  (VI, 
156).     "Ja,  schon  knarrt  die  Thur" :  Liebeszauber  41.     "Ja,  sie 
pocht" :   Liebeszauber  70.     "Fiel  die  Kirchenthiir  nun  knarrend 
hinter    meinem    Riicken    zu":     Bubensonntag    17-8     (VI,    198). 
"Da  pocht   es   auf's   Neue" :   Der   Ring  51  (VI,  390).    "Da   er- 
schallt  ein  starkes  Drohnen !    Ja,  man  pocht  am  Thor  mit  Kraft," 
etc.:    Der   Tod   kennt   den   Weg  65-6    (VI,   394).     "Wenn   die 
Bursche  nachtlich  pochen" :  Wenn  die  Rosen,  etc.,  4   (VI,  437). 
"Horch',   da  klopft   es   leise,   leise" :    Lustig   tritt,   etc.,   41    (VI, 
437).     "Wir   pochten   dumpf  an   die   Pforten" :    Er   und  ich    17 
(VII,    24).     "Da   hort'    ich's    rasseln,   horch' !    und    das    graue 
Thor   sprang  knarrend  offen" :  Der  Kirchhof  21-2    (VII,   100). 
"Das   Grabgewolbe  klaffte   auf,   es  achzte   die   P forte" :   Traum 
54  (VII,  166).     "Wird  schon  von  aussen  ans  Fenster  getickt": 
Der  Ring  46  (VI,  390).     "Klopft  ans  Fenster":  Hexen-Ritt  16 
(VII,  139). 

59  "Dein  Herz  muss  klopfen" :  Liebeszauber  61   (VI,  156). 
".  .  .  .  dass  ihm  die  Rippen  knacken":  Husaren-Werbung  72  (VI, 
191).     "Die  zarten   Schlafen  pochten":   Ein   fruhes  Liebesleben 
62  (VI,  199).    "Und  mag  darob  auch  mancher  Busen  pochen": 
Stanzen    auf    ein    Sicilianisches    Schwesterpaar    35     (VI,    215). 
"Der  Wein,  der  jetzt  in  f  remden  Adern  pocht" :  Epilog  zu  Timon 
von  Athen   17   (VI,  432).     "Sichtbar  klopfen  ihr  die  Rippen": 


208        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

describe  the  noise  of  footsteps,  or  the  beat  of  horses' 
hoofs.60  Four  others  are  allusions  to  the  clinking  of  the 
wine  glass  or  the  seething  of  the  beverage  in  the  glass.61 
As  for  the  rest,  no  common  feature  binds  them  together. 
For  the  sake  of  completeness  we  incorporate  the  isolated 
instances  exhibiting  heterogeneous  sounds.  These  em- 
brace several  varieties.  There  are  first  of  all  a 
number  of  commonplace  sounds  such  as  the  chink  of 
coins,  the  crack  of  the  whip,  the  snapping  of  wheel  and 
axle,  the  rustling  of  a  flag.62  Then  come  sounds  of  a 
mysterious  nature,  supernatural  tones  and  noises.63 
Lastly  we  have  sounds  of  the  finer  fibre,  vibrations  too 
subtle  for  sense,  "which  the  inner  ear  alone  receives." 
Of  such  are  the  following:  "Heilige  Fiille  ....  sauselt 
aus  ewiger  Feme  daher":  Die  Weihe  der  Nacht  2-4 


Der  Bramine  45  (VI,  434).  ".  .  .  .  in  meines  Herzens  Klopfen" : 
Das  Abendmahl  des  Herrn  27  (VII,  122).  Also  An  ein  junges 
Madchen  5  (VII,  187).  Cf.  also:  ".  .  .  .  dumpf  vor  dem 
Drachen  die  Rippen  der  Erde  schon  krachen" :  Der  heilige 
Johannes  35-6  (VII,  210).  "ob  wild  ....  der  Weltbau 
kracht":  Sangers  Sterne  5  (VII,  238). 

60 ".  .  .  .  schallen  Rosseshufen" :  Husaren-Werbung  62 
(VI,  191).  ".  .  .  .  ertonen  Schritte" :  Kindesmorderin  17 
(VII,  68).  "Da  tont  es  fern,  wie  Mannerschritt  und  Hermann 
naht  mit  leisem  Tritt" :  Rosa  45-6  (VII,  28). 

61  "An  stosst  sie   auf  des   Todten   Wohl,  wie  klingt   das 
dumpf,    wie    klingt    das    hohl!":    Hochzeit    29-30    (VII,    128). 
"Ein    wundersames    Brausen    in   seinem    Kelch    entstand" :    Der 
Becher   11-2    (VII,    144).     "Zwei   Glaser  wollen  klingen,   doch, 
eh'  noch   Klang  und   Ton   ganz   ist  und  voll":    Der   Pocal    1-3 
(VII,    178).      "Sie    werden    zum    Pocale,    der    aus    sich    selbst 
ertont":  Der  Pocal  11-2  (VII,  178). 

62  (Commonplace.)     "Wenn  ihr  die  Rader  packt  und  ich 
vor  alien  Dingen  die  Deichsel,  bis  sie  knackt" :  Ein  Dithmarsischer 
Bauer   102-4    (VI,   160).       "knallt  .  .  .  .  fiir     euer   Vaterland" : 
An  die  Packknechte   12   (VII,  62).     "Der  Wirth,  der  zahlt  die 
Miinzen  auf,   die  sind   gar  hell   erklungen" :   Husaren-Werbung 
49-50  (VI,  191).    "Schwingt  die  Fahne,  dass  sie  rauscht" :  Noch 
ist  Polen  nicht  verloren  46  (VII,  216). 

83  (Mysterious.)  "Drang  ein  Schall  zu  mir  heriiber" : 
Bubensonntag  33  (VI,  198).  "Da  scholl's,  wie  Geisterstimme" : 
Memento  vivere  9  (VI,  269). 


SOUNDS  209 

(VI,  285).  "Die  Welt  des  Marchens,  die  aus  alten 
Tagen  zu  uns  heriiberklingt" :  Stanzen  auf  ein  Siciliani- 
sches  Schwesterpaar  45-6  (VI,  215).  ".  .  .  .  in  der 
Feme,  zieh'n,  gleich  Engeln  ....  voile  Klange  und 
Gesange":  Das  Kind  5-7  (VII,  74).  ".  .  .  .  wenn  des 
Lebens  Fulle  nieder  klingt  in  meine  Ruh" :  Dem  Schmerz 
sein  Recht  92-3  (VI,  287). 

Among  these  miscellaneous  sounds  there  are  addi- 
tional illustrations  of  Hebbel's  effectual  use  of  the  sensu- 
ous. The  allusions  to  creaking  or  jarring  gate  are  fre- 
quently very  effective  Stimmungsmittel.  There  is  a  dis- 
tinct gain  in  graphic  realism  far  beyond  the  capacity  of 
simple  narrative  or  descriptive  particle  secured  by  em- 
ployment of  sound  in  the  following  passages: 

"  Da  schwingt  ihn  der  im  Tanz  herum, 
Dass  ihm  die  Rippen  knacken." 

Husaren-Werbung,  71-2  (VI,  191) 

"  Als  dir  in  deinem  letzten  Tanz 
Die  zarten  Schlafe  pochten." 

Ein  friihes  Liebesleben,  61-2  (VI,  199) 

"  Der  Bauer  aber  fiihret  den  Kluvel   (i.e.  den  Spring- 
stock)  in  der  Faust, 

Mit  dem  er  leicht  und  sicher  die  Graben  iibersaus't." 
Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt,  71-2  (VII,  90) 

Finally,  we  have  here  further  evidence  of  the  dignity 
with  which  the  deliverances  of  sense  are  endowed  by  the 
poet's  transforming  imagination.  The  sounds  of  the 
outer  world  are  nature's  divine  symbols.  Through  these, 
in  moments  of  exalted  communion,  the  deep  mysteries  of 
life  haunt  the  poet's  soul.64 


64  Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  15-8  (VI,  241);  Dem 
Schmerz  sein  Recht  90-5  (VI,  287)  ;  Das  abgeschiedene  Kind, 
etc.,  30-1  (VI,  294). 


210        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

A  suggestive  summary  of  the  matter  before  us  may  be 
gained  by  comparing  Hebbel's  sounds  with  those  of  a 
writer  with  whom  he  had  certain  affinities,  E.  T.  A. 
Hoffmann.05  The  relation  of  the  two  men  as  regards 
their  use  of  sound  will  be  revealed  in  a  general  way  by 
a  comparison  of  the  predominant  characteristics  of  their 
works,  the  distinctive  personality  that  pervades  their 
creations  as  a  whole.  Hoffmann's  most  representative 
tales  are  those  that  move  in  the  sphere  of  the  super- 
natural and  the  visionary,  that  introduce  us  to  the  society 
of  spooks  and  fairies.  A  prime  cause  of  Hoffmann's 
preoccupation  with  this  spectral  and  fantastic  world  is 
to  be  sought  in  the  influence  exerted  by  acoustic  impres- 
sions upon  his  inner  and  his  outer  life.  His  was  an 
excitable  temperament.  Wrapped  up  as  he  was  in  music, 
he  had  the  musician's  emotional  nature.  Hence  he  ac- 
centuated the  emotional  side  of  his  characters,  empha- 
sizing especially  particular  forms  of  emotion  such  as 
rapture,  yearning,  dread,  anguish,  horror.  With  this 
emotionalism  the  range  and  intensity  of  his  auditions  is 
closely  allied.66 

Interwoven  with  this  was  the  stimulating  influence 
exerted  by  sounds  upon  his  conceptions.  He  regarded 
musical  and  acoustic  sensations  as  the  expressional 
medium  of  that  phantom  existence  that  his  imagination 
built  up  within  him.  Beside  the  sensitive  poet's  or  the 
romantic  dreamer's  ready  surrender  to  the  sensuous  in 
general,  he  had  an  extraordinary  sensitiveness  to  sound 


65  The  prominence  of  sound  elements  in  the  mental  life 
and  the  poetic  personality  of  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann  is  treated  with 
commendable  thoroughness  and  analytic  nicety  by  Dr.  Carl 
Schaeffer,  Die  Bedeutung  des  Musikalischen  und  Akustischen 
in  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmanns  literarischem  Schaffen.  Marburg,  1909. 
We  draw  freely  from  his  results  in  our  comparison  of  Hoffmann 
and  Hebbel. 

86  Schaeffer,  pp.  224  ff. 


SOUNDS  211 

qualities  in  particular.  The  myriad  voices  of  nature  filled 
him  with  vague  feelings  of  mystery,  miracle  and  fore- 
boding, they  stimulated  his  imagination  to  body  forth  the 
strange  moods  that  overpowered  him.67 

Thus  wonder  and  yearning,  the  dreams  and  fancies 
with  which  the  sounds  of  nature  filled  Hoffmann  go  back 
partly  to  the  enchanting  spell  that  music  cast  over  him. 
To  the  same  source  may  be  traced  a  characteristic  ex- 
hibited in  another  group  of  Hoffmann's  tales  in  which 
the  chief  characters  are  musicians,  dreamers,  persons  that 
live  in  a  visionary  realm  of  poetic  fancy. '  Such  a  vision- 
ary realm  may  become  very  realistic  with  highly  impres- 
sionable natures.  For  a  man  of  Hoffmann's  nervous 
temperament,  the  phantom  world  of  his  imagination 
becomes  a  real  world  in  which  a  large  part  of  the 
mental  life  is  passed.  Such  a  person  comes  to  regard 
himself  as  a  denizen  of  two  distinct  realms,  as  a  double 
personality.  The  consciousness  of  a  double  person- 
ality considerably  influenced  Hoffmann's  poetic  concep- 
tions, notably  his  Doppelgangermotiv.  This  Motiv  was 
employed  by  Romanticists  before,  and  Hoffmann  was 
undoubtedly  influenced  by  tradition  here;  yet  we  may 
assume  that  music's  powerful  appeal  and  the  phenomenal 
mental  reactions  produced  by  acoustic  impression  had 
considerable  to  do  with  this  feature  of  his  art.68 

Again,  Hoffmann's  singular  conception  of  love  (die 
Liebe  des  Kiinstlers)  as  portrayed  in  certain  of  his  tales, 
was  largely  affected  by  his  views  and  feelings  as  an  in- 
spired musician.  An  actual  love  affair  lies  at  the  basis  of 
this  representative  trait  of  Hoffmann's — his  infatuation 
for  Julia  Marc.  But  Julia's  impassioned  singing  mingled 
with  the  inner  and  outer  qualities  of  the  girl  and  strongly 

67  Schaeffer,  p.  215. 

68  Schaeffer,  pp.  219-220. 


212        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

influenced  the  poet's  idealization  of  her  character  in  his 
works.69 

Thus  Hoffmann's  mystic-romantic  nature  feeling,  his 
predilection  for  visionary  and  spectral  scenes,  his  intense 
realization  of  a  duplicity  in  his  psychic  life,  which  he 
crystallized  into  the  figure  of  the  Doppelgdnger,  his  fan- 
tastic conception  of  love,  his  accentuation  of  the  emo- 
tions associated  with  the  marvelous,  the  ominous,  the 
awful — these  dominant  features  of  Hoffmann's  art  owe 
their  existence  considerably  to  his  musical  temperament 
and  to  the  scope  and  depth  of  his  acoustic  impressions. 

We  have  already  adequately  discussed  the  dominant 
characteristics  of  Hebbel's  poetic  art  and  have  empha- 
sized the  importance  of  external  impressions  in  his 
conceptional,  emotional  and  creative  activities.  Hebbel's 
nature  feeling  has  this  in  common  with  Hoffmann's,  that 
the  objective  world  serves  as  the  portal  of  a  super- 
sensuous  realm  to  which  poetic  imagination  alone  can 
pass.  To  be  sure,  Hoffmann's  world  of  phantoms  is 
fundamentally  different  from  the  exalted  state  of  the 
Idee  that  Hebbel's  vision  divines.  Hebbel  by  no  means 
scorns  the  supernatural  element  in  poetry.  He  defends 
it  in  theory  and  in  practice.  But  his  conception  of  the 
supernatural  is  in  keeping  with  his  profound  insight  into 
the  soul  life  of  man  and  with  his  theory  of  the  austere 
function  of  poetry.  Often  a  genial  or  harrowing  or 
grotesque  extravaganza  is  all  that  Hoffmann's  art  brings 
before  us.  Hebbel's  deeper  insight,  nobler  motive  and 
fuller  vision  convey,  when  at  their  best,  mysterious  inti- 
mations of  a  universal  Wesen  with  which  rebellious  indi- 
viduality must  ultimately  merge.  The  point  of  interest 
for  our  purpose  is  that  both  authors  are  themselves 


«»  Schaeffer,  p.  221. 


SOUNDS  213 

spirited  away  to  a  supersensuous  world  through  the  in- 
fluence of  sense  impressions  and  that  both  seek  to  con- 
cretize this  other  world  through  sensuous  media.  In 
performing  this  function  acoustic  impressions  assume 
striking  prominence  with  Hoffmann.  With  Hebbel,  too, 
musical  and  acoustic  sensations  are  far  from  insignifi- 
cant. His  letter  to  Schumann,  poems  such  as  Auf  eine 
Violine,  isolated  utterances  scattered  through  his  letters 
and  diaries,  attest  the  influence  of  music  upon  his  emo- 
tions. His  characteristic  mental  habits  and  his  ruling 
poetic  ideas,  as  evinced  by  his  poems  taken  as  a  whole, 
receive  from  auditory  impressions  definite  impulse  and 
direction.  Yet  despite  his  sympathetic  relations  with  the 
world  of  sound,  the  impressions  of  this  class  do  not 
exert  a  preponderating  influence  upon  his  poetic  visions. 
Tones  and  sounds  are  not  the  chief  avenue  of  escape 
from  the  restrictions  of  mundane  experience  to  the 
higher  consciousness  of  the  Idee.  They  render  him  a 
service  similar  to  the  one  that  they  render  Hoffmann; 
they  facilitate  poetic  illusion,  they  aid  in  the  removal  of 
earthly  barriers.  Thus,  considered  in  their  broader 
aspects,  Hebbel's  songs  and  Hoffmann's  tales  have  a  cer- 
tain resemblance  with  respect  to  the  element  of  sound. 
This  resemblance  between  the  two  men  is  offset  by  an 
important  difference;  the  astonishing  preeminence  en- 
joyed by  the  acoustic  in  Hoffmann's  sensations,  as  re- 
vealed by  the  general  characteristics  of  his  tales,  is  not 
duplicated  in  Hebbel's  lyrics.  That  there  should  be  dis- 
agreement here  follows  naturally  from  the  divergence  in 
the  temperament,  the  poetic  creed  and  the  literary  asso- 
ciations of  the  two  men. 

The  relation  of  the  two  men  with  respect  to  the  use 
of  sound  is  revealed  in  a  more  striking  manner  if  we  go 
down  below  general  characteristics  and  compare  in  de- 


214       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tail  their  allusions  to  sound  impressions.  The  earlier 
discussion  in  this  chapter  has  demonstrated  that  Hebbel's 
ear  was  highly  sensitive,  that  he  keenly  relished  the  tonal 
opulence  of  music  and  the  complex  acoustic  resources  of 
nature,  as  well  as  the  varieties  in  timbre,  pitch  and  in- 
tensity of  the  human  voice.  The  passages  already  quoted 
adequately  show  that  such  impressions  powerfully  stimu- 
lated the  poet's  fancy  and  often  contributed  materially 
to  the  setting,  the  symbolism  and  the  Stimmung  of  his 
songs.  A  detailed  examination  of  Hoffmann's  sound 
allusions  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  this  class  of  external 
stimuli  had  for  him  an  extraordinary  power  of  appeal. 
Minute  analysis  of  his  works  shows  that  the  range 
and  intensity  of  his  acoustic  impressions  were  such  as 
largely  to  determine  the  substance  of  his  tales,  the  traits 
of  some  of  his  typical  characters,  essential  features  of 
his  technic  and  distinctive  qualities  of  his  style  and 
diction. 

Schaeffer  bases  his  investigation  of  Hoffmann's  sounds 
upon  the  latter's  complete  works,  even  drawing  to  some 
extent  from  his  letters.  This  broad  field  of  observation 
could  not  fail  to  yield  rich  and  varied  material,  espe- 
cially considering  Hoffmann's  phenomenal  response  to 
acoustic  stimuli.  Consequently  Schaeffer's  data  admit 
of  most  minute  and  elaborate  classification.  So  detailed 
a  classification  would  be  less  expedient  in  an  investiga- 
tion embracing  as  ours  does  a  field  of  less  bulk  and  deal- 
ing with  a  poet  whose  receptivity  to  auditory  impressions 
was  not  as  extraordinary  as  was  Hoffmann's.  Certain 
phases  of  the  element  under  discussion,  which  assume 
prominence  in  the  case  of  Hoffmann,  are  negligible  fac- 
tors in  Hebbel's  lyric  art.  Personal  experiences  of  a  mu- 
sical nature,  such  as  inspired  Hoffmann's  creations  wholly 
or  in  part,  have  scarcely  any  parallels  in  Hebbel's  songs. 


SOUNDS  215 

Musical  personalities,  which  figure  prominently  in  Hoff- 
mann's tales,  occur  but  seldom  in  Hebbel.  The  list  is 
short  of  his  poems  in  which  musical  characters  or  epi- 
sodes constitute  the  chief  concern.  It  is  true  there  are 
passages  in  the  diaries  that  attest  Hebbel's  responsive- 
ness to  the  beauty  and  the  power  of  music,  and  there  are 
poems  that  furnish  concrete  evidence  of  music's  stimu- 
lating effect  upon  his  emotion  and  his  imagination. 
Furthermore  acoustic,  if  not  specifically  musical,  phe- 
nomena occasionally  contribute  the  dominant  element, 
the  decisive  or  controlling  Moment  in  his  lyrics.  Ein 
ndchtliches  Echo  (VI,  150),  objectifies  the  mysterious 
expectancy  that  summer's  balm  and  the  magic  of  night 
awaken  in  a  lover's  breast ;  and  it  is  chiefly  the  sound  of 
his  own  voice  re-echoed  by  the  myrtle  grove  that  excites 
the  lover's  fancy  and  gives  the  distinctive  quality  to  his 
mood.  Yet  these  are  isolated  instances.  Hebbel's  specific 
sound  allusions  confirm  the  impression  gathered  from  the 
general  aspects  of  his  poems — that  musical  and  acoustic 
impressions  in  and  by  themselves  do  not  often  supply 
Hebbel  with  a  poetic  Erlebnis. 

Notwithstanding  this  fundamental  distinction,  certain 
stylistic  resemblances  are  brought  out  by  a  comparison 
of  the  specific  sound  passages  in  the  poems  and  tales. 
As  might  be  supposed  the  two  authors  approach  each 
other  most  nearly  in  their  use  of  sounds  that  are  ad- 
juncts incidental  to  composition  rather  than  elements 
essential  to  conception.  When  Hoffmann  employs 
acoustic  impressions  as  relatively  subordinate  elements, 
a  comparison  of  his  manner  with  that  of  Hebbel 
becomes  instructive.  We  do  not  always  separate  the 
instances  of  musical  and  non-musical  sounds  in  our  illus- 
trations, notwithstanding  Schaeffer  by  reason  of  the 
richer  data  at  his  command  treats  Hoffmann's  musical 


216        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

and  his  acoustic  elements  in  separate  chapters.  We  may 
perhaps  be  pardoned  for  combining  the  two  species  of 
sound,  since  we  purpose  simply  a  resume  of  salient  fea- 
tures as  a  basis  of  general  comparison. 

Comparatively  subordinate  sounds  assume  importance 
in  poetry  or  prose  when  they  are  aids  to  characteriza- 
tion. With  both  Hoffmann  and  Hebbel  sounds  serve  to 
mark  or  distinguish  objects,  scenes  or  events,  particu- 
larly when  the  distinctive  spell,  the  prevailing  Zustand, 
of  such  things  are  to  be  accentuated.  All  nature  sounds 
render  effective  service  in  this  capacity.  The  notes  that 
issue  from  mountain,  forest  or  field,  echoing  hills  or 
silent  groves,  the  humming  of  insects,  singing  of  birds, 
rustling  of  leaves,  sighing  of  breezes  and  purling  of 
brooks  are  media  constantly  employed  by  both  Hoffmann 
and  Hebbel  to  lend  a  definite  stamp  or  character  to  things 
or  places.70 

It  must  be  emphasized  that  Hebbel  like  Hoffmann  is 
fond  of  employing  such  sounds  as  introductory  to  com- 
ing events.  So  employed,  the  sounds  help  to  mark  the 
definite  nature  of  the  outer  setting,  which  with  Hebbel 
often  has  an  important  bearing  upon  the  emotion  por- 
trayed. Hebbel  as  we  know  repeatedly  alludes  in  the 
opening  lines  to  the  sound  of  wind,  storm,  waves,  or  to 
the  tolling  of  bells  to  help  inaugurate  the  outer  and  inner 
action  depicted.71 


14-7  (VII,  166);  Herbstbild  1-4  (VI,  232); 
Heimkehr  1-2  (VII,  155)  ;  Der  Haideknabe  21-3,  63-4  (VI,  241)  ; 
Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  38  (VI,  241)  ;  Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings 
5  (VI,  217)  ;  Ein  Wald  25-6  (VI,  397)  ;  Laura  9-10  (VII,  19)  ; 
Vater  und  Sohn  17-20  (VI,  427) ;  Schiffers  Abschied  21-2,  25-6 
(VI,  148). 

71  Vater  unser  (VI,  169)  ;  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt 
(VII,  90);  Heimkehr  (VII,  155);  Der  junge  Schiffer  (VI, 
145) ;  Der  Ring  (VII,  59) ;  Kindesmorderin  (VII,  68).  Cf.  Tgb. 
I,  155. 


SOUNDS  217 

As  an  adjunct  of  personal  characterization,  as  a  means 
of  identifying  individuals,  of  specifying  and  accentuating 
their  dominant  traits,  their  temperament,  their  momen- 
tary mood  or  even  their  passing  thoughts,  Hoffmann 
makes  frequent  use  of  musical  or  acoustic  qualities. 
Even  when  such  qualities  are  not  highly  essential  to  the 
matter  they  arrest  our  attention  as  prominent  features 
of  Hoffmann's  manner.  Thus  he  seldom  fails  to  char- 
acterize newly  introduced  persons  by  the  tone  of  their 
voice,  and  strange  or  mysterious  people  are  uniformly 
represented  with  extraordinary  voices.  Seldom  does  he 
fail  to  describe  effectively  the  tone  of  voice  in  which  his 
characters  express  their  feelings.72  Similarly  Hebbel 
avails  himself  of  acoustic  properties  as  indices  of  per- 
sonality, as  concomitants  of  emotional  states.  We  shall 
have  occasion  to  advert  later  on  to  his  low-voiced  maidens 
whose  temperament  and  mood  are  echoed  in  the  tone 
quality  of  their  speech.  Our  extended  examples  have 
shown  how  repeatedly  by  the  aid  of  vocal  sounds  Hebbel 
suggests  the  character  or  nature  of  his  creatures  and 
objectifies  the  grade  or  intensity  of  their  joys  and 
sorrows.73 

At  times,  Hebbel  like  Hoffmann,  summons  into  our 
presence  creatures  from  the  shadow-land  of  revery, 
dream  and  fairydom.  Weird  seizures,  premonitions  and 
vague,  ominous  fears  belong  to  the  experience  of  both 
men.  With  Hoffmann  such  strange  states  often  fol- 
lowed in  consequence  of  acoustic  stimulation,  and  so 
musical  and  other  sounds  naturally  appear  in  his  works 
as  concomitants  of  supernatural  and  fantastic  phenom- 
ena. In  a  restricted  way  we  note  the  same  feature  in 
Hebbel's  songs.  We  have  alluded  to  the  part  played  by 


72  Schaeffer,  pp.  187  ff. 

73  See  above  pp.  189  ff. 


218        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

such  premonitory  sounds  in  Hebbel's  poems  Kains 
Klage  26-7  (VII,  10),  and  Das  Kind  5-8  (VII,  74). 
In  several  poems,  such  as  Die  Spanierin  29  (VI,  176), 
Geburtsnacht-Traum  49  (VI,  255),  Traum  14-7  (VII, 
166),  Der  heilige  Johannes  58-60  (VII,  210),  Buben- 
sonntag  33  ff.  (VI,  198),  tolling  bells,  sometimes  along 
with  other  musical  tones  or  sounds  of  an  unknown  char- 
acter, attend  the  visits  of  phantoms  or  accompany  strange 
promptings  and  hallucinations  of  mundane  creatures. 

We  turn  our  attention  to  a  few  points  of  disagreement 
revealed  by  a  comparison  of  the  sound  allusions  in  the 
poems  and  the  tales.  Hoffmann's  sounds  exhibit  to  a 
marked  degree  the  singular  phenomenon  synaesthesia. 
This  is  especially  noticeable  in  his  portrayal  of  musical 
characters  in  whose  heights  of  emotion  impressions  of 
all  sorts  convert  themselves  into  music.  The  basis  of 
this  idiosyncrasy  is  to  be  sought  partly  in  Hoffmann's 
temperament,  although  the  general  tendency  has  been 
to  consider  it  a  mere  Romantic  conceit.  In  extreme 
forms  it  results  in  the  obliteration  of  the  bounds  of  the 
respective  senses  and  in  the  partial  impairment  of  normal 
relations.74  Hebbel  nowhere  shows  any  tendency  toward 
Doppelempfindung,  audition  coloree  or  the  like.  His 
highly  vigorous  sensory  responses  reveal  no  abnormal 
physical  phases  of  this  type.  His  lyrics  contain  numerous 
passages  in  which  there  is  subtle  blending  of  sensory  im- 
pressions, but  he  does  not  bring  confusion  into  nature's 
division  of  functions.  He  never  willfully  diverts  im- 
pressions from  their  proper  transmitting  channel  into  one 
not  ordinarily  concerned  in  the  transmission.  He  was 
perfectly  sensitive  to  those  aspects  of  nature  that  lull 


74  Schaeffer,  pp.  166  ff. ;  also  Ottokar  Fischer,  Die  Ver- 
bindung  von  Farbe  und  Klang,  Zeitschrift  fur  Aesthetik,  1907, 
pp.  501-34. 


SOUNDS  219 

mortal  into  a  delirium  or  trance.  His  songs  reproduce 
this  state  and  the  interfusion  of  feelings  that  result  from 
it.  At  such  times  the  sharp  demarcation  of  sense  from 
sense  may  well  fade  in  the  maze  of  impressions  that 
enchant  the  mind.  Yet  with  Hebbel  the  effect  is  not 
secured  by  Farbenhoren  or  Doppelempfindung,  not  by 
converting  red  into  trumpet  tones  or  bird  notes  into 
fragrant  zephyrs.  It  is  still  the  eye  that  receives  color 
stimuli  and  the  ear  that  responds  to  impressions  of  sound. 

In  order  to  bring  out  another  important  distinction 
between  the  two  authors  a  moment's  attention  to  Hoff- 
mann's metaphors  is  necessary,  although  we  have  not 
touched  upon  this  phase  of  Hebbel's  sounds.  As  might 
be  supposed,  Hoffmann's  metaphors  that  are  based  upon 
acoustic  phenomena  are  striking  in  number  and  variety. 
In  the  metaphors  taken  from  the  sphere  of  specifically 
musical  sounds  the  musician  Hoffmann  exhibits  decid- 
edly unique  features.  Hebbel's  musical  vocabulary  is 
restricted  to  the  metaphorical  employment  of  such  gen- 
eral terms  as  Musik,  Harmonic,  Ton,  Melodie,  Akkord, 
Gesang.  His  metaphors  taken  from  music  have  as  a  rule 
no  extraordinary  distinction.  The  reverse  is  true  of 
Hoffmann.  His  metaphorical  vocabulary  includes  not 
only  the  more  common  musical  terms  but  a  number  of 
others  rarely  included  in  an  author's  equipment.  And  so 
we  find  in  Hoffmann's  works  metaphors  drawn  from  the 
terminology  of  musical  rhythm,  harmony  and  counter- 
point ;  from  the  nomenclature  for  musical  pitch  or  scale, 
for  the  grades  of  tone  intensity  or  volume;  from  the 
names  for  various  forms,  movements,  themes,  etc.,  of 
musical  composition  and  for  the  different  kinds  of  musi- 
cal instruments.  (Schaeffer,  pp.  169  ff.) 

The  astonishing  frequency  of  sound  allusions  in  Hoff- 
mann's works  would  strike  even  the  uncritical  reader. 


220        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Careful  observation  discloses  the  fact  that  Hoffmann's 
disposition  of  acoustic  impressions  has  striking  analogies 
with  certain  modes  of  order  and  arrangement  peculiar  to 
musical  composition.  Thus  we  find  passages  in  which 
Hoffmann  so  disposes  his  sounds  as  to  suggest  various 
degrees  of  intensity  and  thus  produce  the  effect  of  cres- 
cendo or  of  diminuendo.75  Then  again  he  introduces 
sounds  of  various  quality,  as,  for  example,  when  different 
states  of  emotion  are  accompanied  by  modulations  of  the 
tone  of  voice.76  Mental  images  produced  by  various 
stages  of  an  event  or  by  a  set  of  events  are  objectively 
characterized  by  concomitant  sounds  of  different  types 
and  qualities,  represented  in  relations  of  harmony  or 
contrast.  When  sounds  abound  throughout  an  entire 
tale,  they  sometimes  second  or  re-enforce  or  relieve  one 
another,  like  the  voices  in  ensemble  scenes  of  the  older 
operas.77  Or  when  human  voices  combine  with  sounds 
other  than  musical,  perhaps  with  tones  or  noises  in 
nature,  their  disposition  resembles  the  symphonic  co- 
ordination of  the  different  instruments  in  orchestral 
music.78  Finally  when  distinctive  and  impressive  sounds 
recur  as  the  persistent  accompaniments  of  persons  or  as 
concomitants  of  definite  emotions  and  scenes  throughout 
an  extended  narrative,  then  we  get  an  effect  very  similar 
to  operatic  Motive.79 

The  methods  of  musical  composition  exerted  no  per- 
ceptible influence  upon  the  structure  of  Hebbel's  songs. 
His  disposition  of  acoustic  qualities  has  no  marked  re- 
semblance to  the  effects  and  devices  found  in  music. 
And  the  reasons  for  the  technical  divergence  of  the  two 


75  Schaeffer,  pp.  193  ff. 

76  Schaeffer,  p.  195. 

77  Schaeffer,  pp.  196-8. 

78  Schaeffer,  pp.  198-200. 

79  Schaeffer,  pp.  200-5. 


SOUNDS  221 

men  here  are  obvious:  Hoffmann's  professional  training 
in  music  enabled  him  to  utilize  the  resources  of  this  art 
for  literary  purposes  wherever  expedient.  Hebbel  was 
primarily  a  dramatist  by  temperament.  Consequently 
dramatic  rather  than  musical  effects  come  to  his  aid  as 
a  lyric  poet,  in  so  far  as  traditional  lyric  media  receive 
any  exterior  re-enforcement. 

In  Hebbel's  diaries  we  do  find  now  and  then  combi- 
nations of  acoustic  qualities  that  present  analogies  to  the 
simpler  forms  of  musical  construction.80  But  in  the 
poems,  properly  enough,  we  observe  only  remote  re- 
semblances to  methods  associated  with  music.  The  grad- 
uation of  sounds  introduced  in  the  poem  Schiffers 
Abschied  has  already  been  mentioned.  The  graduation 
is  only  roughly  suggested,  however,  by  successive  allu- 
sions to  the  whispering,  whistling  and  roaring  of  the 
wind.  Furthermore,  the  sounds  are  not  produced  by  one 
and  the  same  wind,  steadily  swelling  from  a  whisper  to  a 
roar.  Hence  the  reproduction  of  gradually  increased 
intensity  does  not  convey  the  effect  of  musical  crescendo : 

(a)  ".  .  .  .  Wie  dich  sauselnd  jener  Ast,"  etc. 

(b)  "Wenn  iiber's  Meer  der  Sturm  wind  pfeift 

Und  an  dem  Mast  mir  riittelt," 

(c)  "Und  muss  mein  Schiff  vor  seinem  Braus 

Gar  an  ein  Felsriff  prallen,"81 

The  sound  passages  in  the  lyrics  that  bear  the  nearest 
resemblance  to  symphonic  arrangement  of  acoustic  ef- 
fects are  likewise  far  from  elaborate.  Furthermore  the 


so  See  pp.  170,  172-3  above;  also  Tgb.  II,  2867,  Is.  8-20. 
81  Schiffers  Abschied    (VI,   148),  Is.   17;  21-2;  25-6.     Cf. 
p.  173  above. 


222       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

impression  sometimes  made  by  such  allusions  is  that  of 
sound  contrasts,  the  various  elements  contend  with  one 
another,  instead  of  combining  to  produce  one  all- 
embracing  orchestral  effect:82 

"  Die  Todtenglocken  horte  ich  erschallen 
Und  in  ihr  dumpf  Gelaut  hinein  in  wilder 
Vermischung  der  Trompeten  Jubelklange 
Und  jauchzenden  Kanonendonner  hallen." 

Traum,  14-7  (VII,  166) 

"  Was  donnern  die  Kanonen,  wo  sonst  nur  Sensenklang, 
Mit  Sichelschall  und  Liedern  vereint,  die  Luft  durch- 

drang  ? 
Was  ist  das  fiir  ein  Pfeifen,  was  fur  ein  Trommel- 

schall  ? 
Geh'n  wohl  zur  lust'gen  Hochzeit  die  stolzen  Bauern 

all'?" 

Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt,  5-8  (VII,  90) 

Hebbel  often  displays  great  skill  in  bringing  before 
our  minds  ideas  of  acoustic  qualities  that  materially  af- 
fect our  emotions  and  arouse  our  fancies.  The  sound 
of  a  horn,  the  pealing  of  bells,  the  stroke  of  a  clock,  the 
pounding  of  hammers,  the  noise  of  fruit  falling  to  the 
ground — all  these  act  at  times  like  musical  Motive.  Their 
effect  is  to  create  a  mysterious  medium  of  sympathy  and 
response,  in  which  the  distinctive  mood  of  the  song  is 
transmitted  and  the  underlying  message  conveyed.  But 
as  these  Motive  are  in  all  cases  most  simple,  so  they  ap- 
pear everywhere  to  be  unpremeditated.  Even  in  longer 
narrative  poems  like  Liebeszauber  (VI,  156),  where 
motivating  sounds  are  not  inconspicuous,  there  is  no  con- 
scious resort  to  them  as  to  a  distinctly  musical  effect. 


82  Cf.  also  quotation  from  Villa  reale  e  Napoli,  above,  pp. 
173-4;  Das  Haus  am  Meer,  6-15  (VI,  270). 


SOUNDS  223 

In  contrast  with  this,  Hoffmann's  manner  has  the  appear- 
ance of  elaborate  design.83 

In  number,  variety  and  disposition  of  acoustic  qualities 
no  other  poems  of  Hebbel's  are  more  noteworthy  than 
Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt  (VII,  90),  and  Das  Haus 
am  Meer  (VI,  270).  But  the  sounds  and  noises  repro- 
duced in  these  poems  observe  a  purely  empirical  arrange- 
ment. Their  co-ordination  is  that  which  a  real  battle  or 
storm  would  reveal.  No  effort  is  made  to  heighten  their 
effect  by  resort  to  any  musical  scheme  of  variation  or 
sequence.  They  constitute  the  dominant  sensuous 
medium.  They  are  the  most  persistent  concomitants  of 
the  shifting  action,  of  the  heights  and  depths  of  emotion. 
As  parts  of  a  realistic  setting,  they  afford  a  natural  ad- 
junct of  illusion.  As  elements  of  intrinsic  emotional 
value,  they  are  effective  means  of  arousing  sympathetic 
response.  As  part  of  the  poetic  symbol,  they  bring  inti- 
mations of  the  universal  struggle  underlying  the  momen- 
tary experience,  and  thus  through  the  imagination  they 
convey  the  profound  message  of  a  poetic  idea.84 

"As  the  painter  in  his  picture,"  says  Pater,  "so  the 
artist  in  his  book  aims  at  the  production,  by  honorable 
artifice,  of  a  peculiar  atmosphere."  Now  "atmosphere" 
is  the  distinctive  quality  of  Hebbel's  poems.  His  lyrical 


83  For    example    in   Der  Zusammenhang   der   Dinge,    see 
Schaeffer,  pp.  202  ff. 

84  Right  here  a  comparison  of  our  results  with  the  statis- 
tical investigations  of  the  acoustic  phenomena  in  Schiller's  lyrics 
would   be   of   profit.     We   must    again   express   regret   that    re- 
searches such  as  that  of  Karl  and  Marie  Groos    (Die  optischen 
Qualitaten    in    der    Lyrik    Schillers,    Zeitschrift    fur    Aesthetik, 
1909,  559  ff.)    had  escaped  our  notice  until  our  own   "Studies" 
were  virtually  finished.     Our  method  had   already  become  to  a 
certain  extent  set.     We  are  compelled  therefore  to   forego  for 
the  immediate  present  such  reclassification  and  renumeration  as 
would  be  necessary  to   make  the   results  of   our   own   and  the 
kindred  investigations  mutually  illuminating. 


224       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

genius  is  eminent  in  the  creation  of  a  conscious  medium 
charged  with  subtle  possibilities  of  emotion  and  sen- 
sitized to  instant  sympathy  with  human  experience.  In 
various  ways  is  this  medium  evoked,  now  by  barest  state- 
ment and  simplest  concrete  enumeration;  then  again  by 
more  elaborate  symbolism,  by  a  delicate  and  intricate 
tracery  of  suggestion.  This  medium — if  we  examine  its 
essence — is  but  the  divination  through  superior  insight 
of  that  inner  affinity  between  man  and  nature  of  which 
our  baser  faculties  give  us  no  hint.  Such  mediation 
through  "honorable  artifice"  of  the  interplay  between  the 
inner  and  the  outer  world  characterizes  Hebbel's  highest 
poetic  performance. 

Preeminent  among  his  concrete  resources  for  achieving 
this  mediation  are  nature's  lights  and  colors.  These  en- 
joy precedence  in  point  both  of  number  and  uniform 
efficacy.  But  second  only  to  lights  and  colors  in  the 
power  to  impress,  to  suggest,  to  effect  illusion  and  to 
promote  that  receptive  state  in  which  poetic  conceptions 
most  arouse  and  impress  are  the  vibrant,  sensuous  sym- 
bols of  sound. 


CHAPTER  V 
SILENCE 

An  important  feature  of  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry  is  its 
preoccupation  with  the  non-material  and  the  spiritual, 
with  moods  that  do  not  ripen  into  action,  with  static  as 
opposed  to  dynamic  experience.1  Hebbel  is  akin  to 
Novalis  and  like  him  a  spiritual  voluptuary;  he  is  akin 
to  Spinoza  and  like  the  great  pantheist  intoxicated  with 
the  God-idea ;  he  is  akin  to  Maeterlinck  and  like  the  Bel- 
gian attuned  to  "the  mysterious  chant  of  the  Infinite  on 
the  horizon,  the  murmur  of  Eternity,  the  ominous  silence 
of  the  soul  of  God."  And  these  are  essentially  poetic 
themes,  problems  better  suited  to  prophetic  intuition  and 
poetic  symbolism  than  to  metaphysical  analysis. 

But  the  poet  who  makes  the  immaterial  his  chief  con- 
cern must  command  the  most  varied  media.  It  is  not 
enough  that  he  reflect  the  glories  of  light ;  he  must  utilize 
as  well  the  suggestive  possibilities  of  shadow  and  of 
darkness.  He  must  respond  not  only  to  "whistling  wind 
or  a  melodious  noise  of  birds,  or  a  pleasing  fall  of  water 
running  violently" ;  he  must  catch  the  note  of  those 
silences  and  undemonstrative  pauses  so  impressive  in 
nature  and  so  often  attended  by  the  deepest  spiritual 
experiences.  Just  as  sounds  are  potent  elements  of  con- 
scious impression,  so  silence  may  become  a  most  eloquent 
medium  of  conscious  communication. 

Compared  with  sound,  the  range  and  variety  of  ex- 
pressions referring  to  silence  in  Hebbel's  lyrics  are  quite 
limited.  Only  a  scant  half  dozen  terms  strictly  expres- 

!Tgb.  1,344;  575. 


226        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

sive  of  silence  occur  with  any  marked  frequency;  still, 
stwnm,  ruhig,  schweigen  and  dumpf;  and  of  these,  still 
is  sometimes  employed  with  little  conscious  reference  to 
the  absence  of  sound.  Technically  we  should  exclude 
from  the  count  terms  like  sanft  and  leise,  as  expressing 
some  degree  of  sound,  however  slight.  Yet  sanft  and 
leise  at  times  pass  over  into  the  demesne  of  still.2  We 
may  very  fitly  include  such  a  passage  as  the  following  in 
our  discussion  of  silence  although  a  nice  distinction 
would  undoubtedly  relegate  it  to  the  category  of  sound : 
"Es  regte  sich  kein  Hauch  am  heissen  Tag,  nur  leise 
strich  ein  weisser  Schmetterling,"  Sommerbild,  5-6  (VI, 
230). 

Whereas  Hebbel's  sounds  occur  for  the  most  part  in 
passages  essentially  narrative,  his  references  to  silence, 
to  complete  suspension  of  sound,  are  decidedly  more 
frequent  in  description.  Even  when  introduced  into 
narrative  poems,  silence  tends  to  arrest  action  for  the 
time  being  and  to  lend  brief  predominance  to  the  momen- 
tary pose.  The  poem  Situation,  the  fourth  of  the  cycle 
of  Waldbilder  (VI,  224),  owes  its  effectiveness  largely 
to  the  pervading  atmosphere  of  quiet.  The  place  itself  is 
still,  the  noiseless  movements  of  the  actors  are  height- 
ened by  the  single  peal  of  laughter,  which  enhances  the 
silence ;  we  seem  to  witness  a  pantomime  or  the  transi- 
tions of  a  waking  dream.  Similarly  in  Auf  eine  Unbe- 
kannte  (VI,  206),  the  distinctive  impression  is  stillness; 
and  though  there  is  conversation,  all  seems  muffled  and 
subdued,  as  if  the  medium  of  converse  were  spiritual  and 
inaudible — the  mere  shadow  of  speech. 


2  Silence  ensues  when  there  is  no  audible  stimulus  in  the 
environment,  and  only  the  inner  entotic  impressions  due  to  the 
nurture  processes  of  the  organ  are  perceptible.  Yet  practically 
we  have  silence  when  an  external  stimulus  is  so  faint  as  to  be 
barely  perceptible  over  and  above  the  entotic  sensations. 


SILENCE  227 

Almost  any  of  the  examples  of  silence  employed  by 
Hebbel  in  personal  descriptions  illustrate  the  momentary 
suspension  of  action  in  a  picturesque  and  pregnant  pause. 
Or,  if  we  cannot  always  say  that  the  action  stops,  at 
least  our  minds  are  diverted  from  it,  our  attention  is 
directed  to  the  features  or  qualities  of  the  actors,  to  their 
momentary  attitudes,  rather  than  to  their  movements.3 

In  the  treatment  of  silence,  as  elsewhere,  Hebbel  makes 
repeated  use  of  the  method  of  contrast.  By  way  of  illus- 
tration, we  may  mention  the  following  as  among  the 
more  effectual  examples: 

(a)  The  peace  and  quiet  of  home  life,  represented  by 
a  typical  domestic  episode,  is  contrasted  with  the  commo- 
tion  of  the  elements   without:    Nachtgefuhl,    7-8    (VI, 
227). 

(b)  Outdoors    the    storm    is    hushed,    while    from 
within  the  house  come  ominous,  deafening  sounds:  Der 
alten  Cotter  Abendmahl,   13-6   (VII,  132).     Cf.   Gott, 
1-8;  9-16  (VII,  77). 

(c)  With  the  turmoil  of  the  warring  elements,  the 
deep  silence  of  the  earth's  interior  is  drawn  in  contrast: 
Horn  und  Flote,  1-9  (VI,  261). 

(d)  The  roar  of  battle  is  compared  with  the  grim 
silence  of  the  field  before  or  after  the  fray :  Schlachtlied, 
17-24  (VII,  136). 

(e)  The  noisy  prattle  of  a  group  of  persons  is  con- 
trasted with  the  gloom  of  one  silent  figure:  Der  Ring, 
9-10  (VI,  390)  ;  Die  Polen  sollen  leben,  10-3  (VI,  170). 

(f )  Loud  shouting  and  singing  gradually  subside  into 


3Waldbilder  121-4  (VI,  221);  Der  Ring  14-5  (VII,  59); 
Die  Sicilianische  Seiltanzerin  7-8  (VI,  337),  etc.  Cf.  here 
what  Huneker  says  of  gesture  as  the  "arrest  of  the  flux,  render- 
ing visible  the  phenomena  of  life,  for  it  moderates  its  velocity" : 
Iconoclasts,  New  York,  1905,  pp.  9-10. 


228       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ominous  silence:  Noch  ist  Polen  nicht  verloren,  131-3 
(VII,  216). 

(g)  The  all-pervading  stillness  is  suddenly  broken  by 
loud,  penetrating  sounds:  Bubensonntag,  29-33  (VI, 
198)  ;  Waldbilder,  1-21  (VI,  221). 

A  variation  of  this  method  of  contrast  is  secured 
through  the  device  of  an  all-encircling  hush  touched  by 
sounds  that  seem  rather  to  accent  the  silence.  The  pas- 
sage from  Sommerbild  quoted  above  is  a  case  in  point. 
The  general  stillness  must  be  perfect  indeed  if  the  flutter 
of  the  butterfly's  wings  becomes  by  contrast  conspic- 
uously audible.  We  have  repeatedly  in  Hebbel's  songs 
the  introduction  of  those  stray  and  solitary  sounds  that 
are  so  obscure  as  at  times  to  leave  unimpressed  the  in- 
attentive ear.  The  drowsy  hum  of  the  beetle,  we  know, 
strikes  us  in  certain  moods  like  the  muffled  sonority  of 
the  sunlight.  The  call  of  an  invisible  bird,  uttered  at  long 
intervals,  often  floats  into  the  silence  like  faint  notes 
from  another  world.  Yet,  when  the  mind  is  alert,  these 
and  similar  sounds  do  not  so  much  merge  with  the  silence 
as  they  accentuate  its  intensity.4  We  comprehend  more 
fully  the  majestic  silence  of  an  autumn  day  when  we  are 
unduly  startled  by  the  rustling  fall  of  the  ripened  fruit: 
"Ringsum  Stille,  durch  das  Summen  eines  Kafers  kaum 
gestort":  Waldbilder,  133-4  (VI,  221);  "Am  Morgen 
war's  hier  still  und  todt,  kaum  dass  die  Wachtel  schlug" : 
Schlachtlied,  21-2  (VII,  136);  "Dies  ist  ein  Herbstag 


4  Herbert  Spencer  illustrates  from  Tennyson's  "Mariana" 
how  solitude  and  stillness  may  be  enhanced  by  sound : 

"  All  day  within  the  dreamy  house, 
The  doors  upon  their  hinges  creaked ; 
The  blue  fly  sung  in  the  pane;  the  mouse 
Behind  the  mouldering  wainscot  shriek'd, 
Or  from  the  crevice  peered  about." 

See  Spencer's  Philosophy  of  Style,  p.  34. 


SILENCE  229 

....  die  Luft  ist  still,  als  athmete  man  kaum,  und 
dennoch  fallen  raschelnd,  fern  und  nah',  die  schonsten 
Friichte  ab  von  jedem  Baum" :  Herbstbild,  1-4  (VI,  232). 

What  has  been  said  of  sound  as  a  psychic  reagent  and 
as  Stimmungsmittel  applies  with  equal  force  to  silence. 
A  deathlike  stillness,  like  an  overpowering  sound,  stimu- 
lates the  imagination  and  awakens  moods  conducive  to 
reflection.  Silence  is  the  condition  best  adapted  to  cer- 
tain phases  of  the  soul  life;  it  is  a  prerequisite  for  the 
full  and  free  exercise  of  certain  spiritual  functions. 

In  a  number  of  beautiful  thoughts  Hebbel  bears  testi- 
mony to  this  conception  of  silence.  "Lieblich  und  stumm 
geboren"  is  the  epithet  that  he  applies  to  some  pro- 
found thought  continually  haunting  yet  eluding  him.5 
Life  is  not  noisy  activity  alone;  he  who  is  altogether 
submerged  in  the  feverish  press  of  existence  has  not 
reached  the  heights.  Rather  are  the  moments  of  spir- 
itual aloofness,  of  reflective  solitude  the  summits  of 
human  experience:  "Nur  am  Morgen,  wenn  wir  auf- 
stehen,  und  am  Abend,  wenn  wir  zur  Ruhe  gehen, 
schauen  wir  in  den  Himmel  hinein,  nicht  am  lauten, 
gerauschvollen  Tage."6 

Thus  a  divine  quality  attaches  to  silence.  A  holy  tran- 
quillity envelops  the  Godhead,  like  the  serenity  of  death.7 
A  God  that  speaks  seemed  to  the  young  Hebbel  unthink- 
able.8 Divine  blessing  itself  descends  inaudibly.  Silence 
is  thus  a  heavenly  gift,  a  divine  quality,  in  which  the 


5  Wenn  Du  nicht  reden  willst  4  (VII,  236). 

«Tgb.  I,  601.  Cf.  An  Hedwig  33^6  (VI,  208).  Also 
"Leben  heisst,  tief  einsam  sein,"  etc. :  An  die  Jiinglinge  21  (VI, 
236). 

7  Der  Friedens-Engel  1  (VII,  240)  ;  An  die  Jiinglinge  14 
(VI,  236)  ;  Die  Weihe  der  Nacht  1-4  (VI,  285)  ;  Kinderloos  15 
(VII,  162). 

8Tgb.  I,  66:  "Ich  kann  mir  keinen  Gott  denken,  der 
spricht." 


230       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

most  sublime  human  emotions  and  experiences  may  find 
expression.  The  angels  that  attend  the  lovers  in  their 
silent  rapture  are  unheard  as  well  as  unseen.9  The 
spiritual  thrills  of  hope,  of  gratitude  and  of  contentment 
are  attended  by  silence.10  Those  elements  in  nature  and 
in  art  that  seem  almost  divine  are  often  communicated 
through  the  medium  of  silence.  Ideal  physical  loveliness 
operates  with  unobtrusive  gentleness.11  Beauty  is  a 
lovely  creature  whose  emotions  are  accompanied  by 
silence.12  The  secret  of  her  power  resides  in  repose, 
her  presence  inspires  the  rapt  beholder  with  holy  awe 
and  with  still,  sweet  longings.  Only  as  beauty  is  silently 
revealed  to  the  ardent  gazer  is  the  conflict  of  his  emotions 
modulated  into  peace.13 

NATURE 

Referred  to  nature  and  the  physical  world,  silence  is 
endowed  with  an  impressiveness  felt  by  all  save  the  in- 
sensate. The  degree  of  this  impressiveness  varies  with 
the  individual  mood  and  temperament,  and  with  the  con- 
ditions of  time  and  place.  Silence  would  be  certain  to 
enter  vitally  into  the  experience  of  a  poet  who  is  strong 
precisely  in  those  faculties  that  are  both  stimulated  by 
and  require  silence  for  their  perfect  exercise.  And  so 
Hebbel,  to  whom  silence  in  nature  appealed  with  power- 
ful suggestiveness,  naturally  resorted  to  this  medium  of 
suggestion  in  his  imaginative  pictures. 


•  Liebeszauber  110-2  (VI,  156). 

lOQpfer  des  Fruhlings  67  (VI,  217);  Stille!  Stille!  1-4 
(VII,  154).  Cf.  Der  Mensch  und  die  Gtiter  des  Lebens  7-8 
(VI,  445) ;  Die  tragische  Kunst  18  (VI,  379). 

11  "Da  drangte  all'  die  Lieblichkeit  sich  lind,  wie  nie  noch 
an  mein  Herz" :  An  Hedwig  2-3  (VI,  208).  Cf.  also,  Die  junge 
Mutter  4  (VI,  179). 

"Eine  Pflicht,  entire  (VI,  235). 

"Das  Geheimniss  der  Schonheit  1-4;  29-32  (VI,  404). 


SILENCE  231 

To  represent  impressively  in  poetry  nature's  sugges- 
tive silence  requires  no  ordinary  artistic  gift,  for  a  "vast 
scene  in  unbroken  stillness  is  suited  to  painter  rather 
than  poet."14  Hebbel's  handling  of  various  phases  of 
nature,  caught  in  a  moment  of  repose  belongs,  then,  to 
his  significant  artistic  achievements.  He  brings  vividly 
before  us,  for  instance,  the  ominous  hush  before  the 
storm;15  the  tranquil  calm  of  evening  and  the  mystic 
grandeur  of  the  night,  filled  with  the  breath  of  an  unseen, 
unheard  presence;16  the  cold,  dead  stillness  of  winter;17 
the  oppressive  silence  of  a  hot  summer  day,  so  still  and 
heavy  that  the  sunbeams  seem  to  purr  audibly  by  con- 
trast;18 the  silence  of  expectancy  that  binds  all  Nature 
at  dawn;19  the  appalling  hush  that  lies  like  some  pesti- 
lential atmosphere  upon  the  dreary  heath.20 

Even  in  some  of  the  more  minute  details  of  nature, 
silence  is  deftly  introduced.  The  allusion  to  the  tree 
quietly  shading  the  sleeper  brings  up  a  scene  of  undis- 
turbed stillness.21  The  blossoms  invariably  appear  ani- 
mate with  heartaches  and  passions ;  but  noiseless  as  their 
breathing  is  the  ebb  and  flow  of  their  emotions.  Intimate 
and  tender  are  Hebbel's  relations  with  the  flowers — espe- 
cially with  lily  and  rose,  mute  alike  in  contentment  and 
in  longing.22  In  scenes  of  animal  life,  silence  is  un- 
common. Vogelleben  pictures  in  a  simple,  appealing  way 

14  Bain,  English  Composition  and  Rhetoric,  p.  260. 

15  Liebeszauber  (VI,  156)  ;  Bei  einem  Gewitter  (VII,  124). 

16  Gott  9-12  (VII,  77)  ;  Morgen  und  Abend  21  (VI,  264)  ; 
Die  Weihe  der  Nacht  1-4  (VI,  285). 

"  Winterlandschaft  (VII,  165). 

is  Sommerbild  (VI,  230). 

19  (Emil  Rousseau)   Still  und  heimlich  1-4  (VII,  163). 

2<>Haideknabe  25-8  (VI,  166). 

21  Liebesgeheimniss  9-12  (VII,  145). 

22  Das  Geheimniss  der  Schonheit  7-8   (VI,  404)  ;   Rosen- 
leben   1-4    (VI,   126)  ;   Meiner  Tochter  Christine,  etc.,   16    (VI, 
423);   Ein    friihes   Liebesleben   153-4    (VI,   199);    Proteus  25-6 
(VI,  253). 


232        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

one  forlorn  little  bird  perched  upon  a  bare  tree,  chilled 
into  stupor  by  the  bleak  wind,  and  silently  awaiting 
death.23  The  birds  whose  songs  are  hushed  in  Opfer  des 
Friihlings  form  part  of  the  comprehensive  silence  intro- 
duced as  a  prominent  feature  of  landscape.24 

This  selection  of  stillness  to  emphasize  the  dominant 
character  of  landscape  occurs  repeatedly  in  the  lyrics. 
The  image  of  autumnal  stillness  broken  only  by  sounds 
of  falling  fruit  makes  the  poem  Herbstbild  a  good  in- 
stance in  point.25  Occasionally,  as  in  Winterlandschaft, 
the  poet  secures  the  impression  of  total  stillness  without 
resorting  to  specific  allusion.26  The  effect  may  be  sug- 
gested by  a  single  epithet  applied  to  valley,  wood  or 
earth.  One  allusion  to  silence  in  the  first  stanza  of  Bei 
einem  Gewitter,  reinforced  by  a  magnificent  metaphor, 
is  sufficient  to  suggest  the  heavy  air  and  the  premonitory 
hush  that  herald  approaching  storm  :27  "Erst  triibe  Stille, 
ein  Bedenken  der  iiberflutenden  Natur."  More  effectual 
as  well  as  more  typical  of  Hebbel's  manner  is  the  sug- 
gestion of  pervading  silence  through  a  weaving  together 
of  appropriate  sensations,  through  synthesis  of  images 
from  various  spheres  of  impression ;  as  when  serene  sky, 
eyes  of  pensive  blue,  mute  flowers,  soft-flowing  stream 
and  birds  whose  song  is  hushed,  all  coalesce  with  the 
waning  of  the  soul  into  one  absorbing  sense  of  vernal 
quiet : 

"  Sah  ich  je  ein  Blau,  wie  droben 
Klar  und  voll  den  Himmel  schmuckt? 
Nicht  in  Augen,  sanft  gehoben, 
Nicht  in  Veilchen,  still  gebuckt ! 


23Vogelleben  (VII,  120). 

24  (VI,  217.)     Cf.  also  Haideknabe  25-9  (VI,  166). 

25  (VI,  232.) 
2«  (VII,  165.) 
27  (VII,  124.) 


SILENCE  233 

Leiser  scheint  der  Fluss  zu  wallen 
Unter  seinem  Widerschein, 
Vogel  schweigen,  und  vor  Allen 
Dammert  meine  Seele  ein." 

Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings,  1-8  (VI,  217) 

Among  the  most  impressive  aspects  of  nature  are  the 
"night  hours,  hours  of  silence  and  solitude."  A  strange 
fascination  envelops  the  experiences  to  which  the  soul 
is  prone  at  nighttide,  whether  the  dominant  emotion  be 
peace,  as  in  the  beautiful  night  scene  from  Amiel's 
Journal ;  or  terrified  awe,  as  in  Vergil's  description  of 
the  descent  of  his  hero  into  Hades;  or  breathless  ex- 
pectancy, as  in  the  beginning  of  the  Rutli-scene  in 
Schiller's  Wilhelm  Tell.28  Even  that  which  in  itself  is 
not  uncommon  tends  to  take  on  an  extraordinary  aspect 
when  veiled  in  the  silence  of  night,  while  the  intrinsically 
impressive  becomes  awe-inspiring  or  sublime. 

That  Hebbel  was  extraordinarily  susceptible  to  night's 
strange,  silent  spell,  picture  after  picture  in  the  diaries 
shows.  He  speculates  upon  the  ominous  depression,  the 
"Driickend-Furchtbare"  that  creeps  over  the  soul  in  soli- 
tude and  darkness.29  Elsewhere  it  is  the  solace  of  a  tran- 
quil evening  that  engages  him ;  one  of  the  earliest  entries 
in  the  diaries  records  the  charm  and  the  spiritual  uplift 
of  a  still,  kindly  evening,  which  seemed  to  melt  the  ice 
of  the  soul  and  to  mature  its  richest  blossoms.30  In 
another  passage  Hebbel  pictures  the  strange  potency  of 


28  Amiel's  Journal.    The  Journal  Intime  of  Henri  Frederic 
Amiel.    Translated  by  Mrs.  H.  Ward,  London.    Macmillan  &  Co. 
Entry  under  September  7,  1851,  Aix,  p.  14.    Vergil's  ^Eneid,  Bk. 
VI.    Schiller's  Wilhelm  Tell,  II,  2. 

29  Tgb.  I,  516.    In  Tgb.  I,  983,  Hebbel  tells  of  his  agitation 
upon  reading  in  an  old  and  torn  Testament  at  dusk  the  story  of 
Christ's  Passion. 

so  Tgb.  I,  3. 


234       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ordinary  shapes  and  sounds  and  lights  when  these  emerge 
from  the  background  of  silent  gloom,  and  he  notes  the 
melting  images,  and  the  soothing  reflections  that  come 
with  such  experience: 

"Heute  Abend  trotz  aller  Triibseligkeiten  doch  einmal 
wieder  eine  schone,  erhebende  Stunde.  Ich  ging  auf  den 
Stintfang.  Die  stille,  schweigende  Stunde;  die  sauseln- 
den  Baume  rund  umher ;  die  ruhenden  Schiffe  im  Hafen, 
auf  denen  hie  und  da  ein  Hund  bellte  und  ein  Lichtlein 
brannte;  in  der  Feme  die  Lichter  an  der  hannoverschen 
Granze,  und  dariiber  der  ernste  Nachthimmel,  an  dem 
der  Mond,  bald  von  den  Wolken  bedeckt,  bald  klar  her- 
vortretend,  langsam  hinwandelte;  Alles  dies  machte  auf 
mich  einen  unsaglich  linden,  versohnenden  Eindruck,  so 
dass  ich  mich  auf  eine  Bank  setzte  und  die  Hande  un- 
willkurlich  zum  Gebet  faltete,"  Tgb.  I,  1702. 

Almost  imperceptibly  do  scenes  and  sentiments  of  this 
type  pass  over  into  the  fabric  of  Hebbel's  songs.  Certain 
passages  in  the  diaries  seem  to  linger  on  the  border  of 
fact  and  fancy.  The  bliss  of  silent  morning  and  evening 
hours,  recorded  in  the  passage  quoted  above,  becomes 
the  substance  of  a  beautiful  metaphor  in  the  poem  An 
Hedwig.31  Nocturnal  stillness  and  cool,  moist  night 
odors  stimulate  the  poet  and  heighten  a  commonplace 
experience  into  an  Erlebtes  Gedicht  for  him.32  Thus 
Hebbel's  reveries  and  recollections  often  have  nightfall 
as  their  natural  setting.  Bygone  scenes  habitually 
awaken  thoughts  of  twilight,33  and  in  the  diaries  as  in 


81     "  Am  Morgen,  wo  der  Mensch  ersteht 
Fur  seinen  schweren  Tageslauf, 
Und  Abends,  wenn  er  schlafen  geht, 
Da  schaut  er  gern  zum  Himmel  auf !" 

An  Hedwig,  33-6  (VI,  208) 
«2  Tgb.  I,  1262. 

^"Denke  ich  an  alte  Zeiten,  so  denk'  ich  immer  zugleich 
an  Abend-Dammerung ;  denke  ich  an  einen  alten  Character,  so 
erscheint  er  mir  unter  Flor  oder  Spinnweb,"  Tgb.  I,  800. 


SILENCE  235 

the  songs  the  charm  of  certain  personalities  is  embodied 
in  the  imagery  of  the  night:  "Eine  Erscheinung  von 
wunderbarem  Liebreiz,  dammernd  wie  der  Sternen- 
Himmel  in  einer  duftigen  Nacht!"  Tgb.  II,  2769. 

As  might  be  supposed  from  the  foregoing,  Hebbel 
resorts  again  and  again  to  silent  night  as  an  adjunct 
appropriate  to  the  situations  depicted  in  the  songs. 
Night  and  solitude  afford  the  conventional  setting  for 
his  weird  and  uncanny  "seizures,"  for  scenes  of  myste- 
rious horror  or  of  solemn  pomp.34  Nothing  else  shows 
Hebbel's  mastery  of  poetic  suggestion  more  beautifully 
than  some  of  the  night  pictures  in  his  poems.  Here  un- 
reserved surrender  to  the  ecstasies  and  the  fancies  wild 
and  strange  inspired  by  the  hush  of  nightfall  becomes 
a  ruling  mood.  Tribute  after  tribute  is  paid  to  this 
mood,  its  charm  exhales  now  and  again  from  some  lovely 
metaphor.35  By  subtle  strokes  the  balmy  stillness  with- 
out and  the  profound  spell  that  overpowers  soul  and 
body  are  evoked.  In  this  stillness  is  found  an  atmos- 
phere suited  to  those  vague  states,  those  twilights  of 
consciousness,  "fallings  from  us  of  sense  and  outward 
things."36  Heavenly  intuitions  that,  like  some  divine 
balsam,  heal  the  wounds  of  the  spirit,  come  with  the 
tranquillizing  hush  of  nighttide  :37 


(VI,  204);  Der  Ring  (VI,  390);  Memento 
vivere  1-4  (VI,  269)  ;  Das  Venerabile,  etc.,  1-3  (VI,  286)  ;  Die 
Hochzeit  (VII,  128)  begins: 

"  Die  Nacht  ist  stumm,  die  Nacht  ist  still, 
Wie,  wenn  sie  Todte  wecken  will,"  etc. 

35  Ein  Geburtstag  auf  der  Reise  99-104   (VI,  247)  ;  Dem 
Schmerz  sein  Recht  40-1  (VI,  287). 

36  Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  103-8  (VI,  241)  ;  An  den  Tod 
3-8  (VI,  266). 

87  Cf.   also  Die  Weihe   der   Nacht   1-4   (VI,  285);    Gott 
9-12  (VII,  77)  ;  Der  Abend  (VI,  339)  ;  Tgb.  I,  1702. 


236        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

"  Dann  sinkt  des  Abends  heil'ge  Ruh', 
Als  war's  auf  eine  Wunde, 
Auf  sie  herab,  und  schliesst  sie  zu, 
Damit  sie  still  gesunde." 

Morgen  und  Abend,  21-4  (VI,  264) 

We  have  intimated  that  Hebbel's  chief  concern  was 
with  the  spiritual  aspects  of  nature.  He  was  profoundly 
impressed  by  those  mysterious  currents  of  eternal  energy 
that  "roll  through  all  things"  and  are  revealed  in  the  life 
of  man  and  of  nature.38  The  hidden  source  of  life  it- 
self, its  unseen  and  uncomprehended  processes,  the  soul's 
unfathomable  experiences,  its  secret  thrillings,  intuitions, 
revelations — such  themes  contained  the  germs  of  pro- 
found poetic  Erlebnis  for  Hebbel.  And  silence  char- 
acterizes the  manifestation  of  this  cosmic  life ;  inaudibly 
these  universal  currents  move  and  operate.  In  one  poem 
this  universal  energy  is  symbolized  by  the  god  Proteus, 
whose  spirit  abides  in  no  one  thing  because  it  permeates 
all  things;  whose  being  assumes  no  definite,  tangible 
shape  because  it  is  manifested  in  all  shapes.  To  the  poet 
alone  is  the  intuition  of  this  world-spirit  accorded:39 

"  In  Seelen  der  Menschen  hinein  und  hinaus ! 
Sie  mogten  mich  fesseln,  O  neckischer  Strauss ! 
Die  fromme  des  Dichters  nur  ist's,  die  mich  halt, 
Ihr  geb'  ich  ein  voiles  Empfinden  der  Welt." 

Proteus,  33-6  (VI,  253) 

Cf.  also  Die  Weihe  der  Nacht,  5-10  (VI,  285) ;  Ein 
Spatziergang  in  Paris,  11-2,  19-25  (VI,  241)  ;  An  die 
Junglinge,  5-6  (VI,  236) ;  Morgen  und  Abend,  21-4 

88"Ach  iiber  all  dies  dunkle  mystische  Treiben  in  der 

Natur  und  im  Menschen!"  Tgb.  I,  565 this,  apropos  of 

a  poem  "Zum  letzten  Mai"  (VII,  147).  See  also  Tgb.  I,  344. 

a»Cf.  Werner,  VII,  291;  Tgb.  IV,  5841  (Is.  51  ff.). 


SILENCE  237 

(VI,  264)  ;  Emil  Rousseau,  12  (VII,  163).  When  this 
"stream  of  eternal  energy"  embraces  independent  local 
eddies,  little  whirlpools  complete  by  themselves  within 
the  greater,  the  poet  may  become  too  objective  and  lit- 
eral, he  may  deal  too  much  with  mere  externalities ;  then 
the  conception,  wrested  from  phenomena  essentially 
spiritual,  descends  to  metaphysical  conceit.40 

In  the  domain  of  silence,  we  are  again  reminded  that 
Hebbel's  genius  is  essentially  dramatic.  Under  his  typi- 
cal treatment,  the  experience  depicted  assumes  the  form 
of  a  dramatic  situation  in  which  silence  must  contribute 
its  part  as  a  predisposing  Moment.  Thus  for  many  the 
note  of  silence  may  have  a  theatrical  quality.  Some 
might  attach  this  stigma  to  the  very  feature  that  is  gen- 
erally so  admirably  managed  in  the  songs,  the  intro- 
duction of  the  calm  before  the  storm,  in  the  figurative 
as  well  as  the  literal  sense.  The  over-captious  may  dis- 
cern affectation  when  Hebbel  evokes  upon  the  scene  that 
dread  stillness  that  is  the  overture  of  the  bursting  tem- 
pest, or  when  like  the  Creator  he  bids  the  warring  ele- 
ments be  still;  or  again  when  his  characters  suddenly 
subside  into  an  ominous  hush.  If  then  the  momentary 
repose  is  followed  by  swift  action,  by  crises  of  emotion, 
if  the  brief  lull  is  broken  by  a  sound,  perhaps  of  myste- 
rious and  deadly  import,  the  effect  may  be  partly  spoiled 
for  some  by  the  earthly  associations  awakened.41  They 
may  find  themselves  thinking  of  the  sudden  suppression 
of  the  orchestra  when  the  "strong  scene"  of  the  melo- 
drama is  reached,  or  when  the  trapeze  performer  is  ready 
for  his  most  daring  feat. 

But  the  consideration  urged  in  defense  of  Hebbel's 
sounds  constitutes  an  equally  valid  vindication  of  his 


40  For  example,  Geschlossener  Kreis  (VI,  328). 
«  Memento  vivere  9-10  (VI,  269). 


238       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

silences  against  the  charge  of  theatricism.  Moderation, 
employment  of  fixed  methods  within  the  limits  of  rea- 
son— these  may  be  justly  claimed  for  our  poet  in  his 
operation  with  this  effectual  medium  of  expression.  The 
charge  of  mannerism  here  would  be  grossly  unwarranted. 
Hebbel  is  able  effectually  to  suggest  mental  states,  to 
evoke  wonder  and  awe,  and  to  create  dramatic  suspense 
by  this  simple  device.  His  management  of  such  legiti- 
mate means  to  an  honorable  end  constitutes  a  noteworthy 
feature  of  his  artistry. 

Just  as  darkness  has  charms  quite  distinct  from  those 
of  light,  and  as  the  shadows  cast  by  cathedral  walls  are 
important  factors  of  architectural  effect,  so  silence  as  a 
mere  physical  element  lends  a  peculiar  impressiveness  to 
certain  elemental  phenomena  in  nature.  In  a  passage 
that  affords  a  refreshing  variation  from  the  traditional 
harmony  of  the  spheres,  Hebbel  imagines  the  heavenly 
bodies  rolling  on  their  courses  in  perpetual  silence.42  The 
circumambient  ether,  impregnated  with  the  inaudible 
throb  of  life,  pervaded  by  the  deep  and  holy  calm  of  the 
Unfathomable  One,  awakened  in  Hebbel's  soul  a  reverent 
awe  bordering  on  adoration.43 

THE  INANIMATE  WORLD 

But  the  quality  of  silence  is  not  always  attractive.  The 
stillness  in  which  some  things  are  buried  may  operate  to 
arouse  repellent  associations.  The  voiceless  statue, 
impotent  of  communication,  seemed  to  chill  Hebbel's 
soul.44  He  confessed  to  an  incapacity  for  appreciating 
the  "Innerstes  und  Eigenthiimlichstes"  of  plastic  art. 


42  Das  abgeschiedene  Kind  an  seine  Mutter  4-5  (VI,  294). 

«An  den  Aether  1-7  (VI,  323). 

**  Wurde  des  Volks  10-2,  16  (VII,  75). 


SILENCE  239 

This  "Apotheosis  of  Stone"  tortured  him.  Statues  were 
for  him  "monstrous  problems."  Whereas  quiet  people  in 
real  life  at  times  diffused  a  certain  charm,  their  very 
silence  suggesting  some  deeper  medium  of  soul- 
expression,  the  "hushed  creatures"  and  "slumbering 
gods"  of  sculpture  awakened  within  him  a  killing  sense 
of  mortal  helplessness  and  of  nature's  immensity  and 
inscrutable  mystery.45  Often  in  gazing  upon  a  dead 
body  he  seemed  to  behold  the  still,  cold  statue  that  life's 
incessant  blows  had  chiseled  into  shape.46 

Upon  this  dreary  aspect  of  silent  things  the  songs 
rarely  dwell.  True,  the  solitary  house  in  the  woods, 
with  its  dim  light  flimmering  feebly  into  the  night,  or 
the  silent  castle  in  the  gloomy  fir- forest,  seen  from  a 
distance  by  moonlight,  have  a  forbidding  aspect  that 
faintly  recalls  Poe's  spectral  House  of  Usher,  with  its 
gray  walls  and  its  dead,  black  tarn.47  Generally,  how- 
ever, sweeter  sentiments  are  stirred  by  certain  dumb 
objects  that  are  intimately  bound  up  with  the  common 
lot  of  man.  Das  Haus  am  Meer  sings  a  litany  on  the 
dignity  and  import  of  life's  common  acts.  A  poet  imbued 
with  this  sense  of  the  marvel  imbedded  in  the  mean  de- 
rives a  poetic  thrill  from  the  very  simples  of  experience. 
The  high  gift  of  liberating  the  common  from  the  stigma 
of  the  commonplace  through  the  power  of  poetic  vision 
belonged  eminently  to  Hebbel.  So  he  finds  pathos  and 
poetry  in  the  silence  of  the  death-robbed  cradle  ;48  in  the 
hush  of  the  forlorn  old  homestead;49  in  the  old  chapel 


45  Tgb.  I,  876.    But  contrast  Tgb.  I,  747. 

46 ".  .  .  .  die  stille,  ruhige,  abgeschlossene  Statue,  die  das 
Leben  durch  unausgesetzte  Schlage  ausgemeisselt,"  Tgb.  II,  2033. 

47  Ein  f  ruhes  Liebesleben  No.  9,  Nachts  (VI,  204) ; 
Herr  und  Knecht  10-2  (VI,  388). 

4«  Mutterschmerz  1-2  (VII,  127). 

4»Das  alte  Haus  24;  57  (VI,  266). 


240       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

empty  and  still,  seen  in  the  fading  light  of  evening;50  in 
the  funeral  tapers  burning  noiselessly  beside  the  body;51 
in  the  unchanging  stillness  of  the  grave  itself — the 
"silent  bed."52  Such  objects  are  always  a  spur  to  reflec- 
tion. The  cradle,  the  home,  the  church-house  and  the 
grave,  especially  when  held  in  a  setting  of  deep  solitude, 
seem  endowed  with  symbolic  sacredness.  For  Hebbel 
they  were  summons  to  fervid  sessions  of  thought,  in 
which  the  scenes  of  early  life  became  hallowed  and  trans- 
figured. (Cf.  the  epigram  Meine  Sdngerin,  VI,  377.) 

PERSONAL  DESCRIPTION 

It  is  possible  to  construct  from  the  utterances  of  many 
poets  an  essentially  complete  microcosm,  which  is  their 
subjective  universe.  The  relative  perfection  of  this  sub- 
jective universe,  the  dignity  assigned  therein  to  the  great 
primal  facts — to  life  and  death,  to  character,  in  general 
to  man  and  nature — these  determine  the  order  of  the 
poet's  spiritual  greatness.  Hebbel  assigns  to  man  a 
cardinal,  if  highly  tragic,  place  in  his  poetic  scheme  of 
things.53  Many  of  his  reflective  poems  make  it  obvious 
that  for  him  nature  has  significance  chiefly  because  it  is 
the  theatre  of  man's  tragic  activities.  An  attractive 
theme  for  Hebbel  is  the  mysterious  tie  that  unites  all 
beings  and  that  is  to  be  traced  to  their  common  mundane 
sphere  of  experience.  Now  it  is  significant  that  repeat- 
edly when  this  theme  engages  him,  Hebbel  is  moved  to 
it  by  the  appearance  of  some  gentle,  silent  figure,  some 
lovely  stranger  perhaps,  mute  or  else  conversing  in  low, 


«>Vater  und  Sohn  3-4  (VII,  152). 
61  Die  heilige  Drei  95-6  (VI,  181). 
52  Geburtsnacht-Traum  15-6  (VI,  256). 
63  Cf.  Die  alten   Naturdichter  und  die  neuen    (VI,  349)  : 
See  letter,  Berlin,  April  23,  1851,  quoted  VII,  340,  Is.  16  ft. 


SILENCE  241 

barely  audible  tones  that  scarcely  impress  the  essential 
stillness.  A  glimpse  of  such  a  quiet  image  and  instantly 
there  is  evoked  the  mood  of  spiritual  communion.  The 
silent  or  low-voiced  stranger  becomes  the  soul  of  the 
situation;  from  her  the  surroundings  borrow  whatever 
they  possess  of  spiritual  or  poetic  charm.  Singularly 
nebulous  and  filmy  is  the  portrayal  of  such  experience 
when  told  as  though  in  recollection,  with  the  accessories 
correspondingly  softened  and  subdued. 

An  undeniable  charm  envelops  murky  creatures  of 
dream,  or  hushed  and  silent  figures  in  real  life,  which 
manifestly  stimulated  Hebbel's  fancy.  In  one  of  the 
sonnets,  a  spurned  maiden  bewails  her  mortal  lot  of 
speech  and  flesh  and  blood ;  had  she  come  to  the  poet  as 
a  mute  dream  form,  he  would  have  embraced  her  shad- 
owy body  with  ardor.54  Natures  that  are  habitually  in- 
communicative or  that  are  bound  by  some  spell,  some 
twilight  mood  incompatible  with  speech,  fascinated  Heb- 
bel's imagination  and  afforded  him  opportunities  for  dis- 
tinctive and  congenial  poetic  performance.  The  soul 
under  such  conditions,  surprised,  taken  unawares,  seemed 
to  him  more  readily  to  yield  its  secrets.  There  is  evi- 
dence that  Hebbel  regarded  silence — in  some  of  his 
moods,  at  least — as  a  badge  of  superior  spirituality.55 
Silence  appeared  to  afford  the  medium  best  suited  to 
communication  between  creatures  of  higher  order,  the 
most  fitting  accompaniment  of  their  exalted  emotions. 
All  the  labored  and  impassioned  utterances  of  the  poet, 
and  all  his  prophetic  achievement  fall  short  of  the  divin- 


54  "  O,  war'  ich,  statt  mit  buntem  Staub  umkleidet, 

Als  stummes  Traumbild  vor  dich  hingetreten, 
Du  hattest  heiss  das  Dammernde  umschlossen !" 

Die  Verschmahte,  9-11  (VI,  319) 

55  Die  Schonheit  1-4  (VI,  318). 


242        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

ity  revealed  in  the  mute  babe  nestling  on  a  mother's 
breast.56  The  faculty  of  speech — so  the  young  Hebbel 
protested — points  rather  to  a  defect  than  to  an  advantage 
of  the  human  ego ;  and  the  lack  of  this  faculty  in  animals 
seemed  to  him  wholly  inadequate  evidence  of  their  in- 
feriority to  mortals:  he  even  divines  that  the  despised 
brute  may  employ  some  communicating  medium  to  whose 
comprehension  we  mortals  have  not  yet  attained.57  There 
is  much  to  remind  us  here  of  Maeterlinck's  atmosphere 
of  spiritual  communion.  The  Belgian  poet,  too,  has  deep 
reverence  for  the  silent  soul  life  of  childhood,  of  plants 
and  animals,  of  voiceless  and  lifeless  things  so-called. 
With  Maeterlinck  as  well,  it  is  the  unspoken  word  that 
reveals  our  deepest  self;  our  inmost  thoughts  find  ex- 
pression in  a  higher  medium  than  speech.58 

And  so  a  number  of  Hebbel's  creatures,  particularly 
his  maidens,  are  of  this  silent  type,  placid  beings  whose 
soul  life  is  like  the  gentle  respiration  of  the  lily.59  How 
still  and  with  what  far-away  indistinctness  do  the  silent 
forms  of  gentle  women  long  dead  drift  before  the  poet's 
dreaming  eye,  like  wisps  of  light  cloud,  in  the  poem 
Geburtsnacht-Traum.  Time  rests  like  a  slumber  upon 
their  brow,  death  has  dimmed  the  lustre  of  their  eyes, 
and  their  wan  lips  are  wreathed  in  the  mere  memory  of 
a  smile: 

"  Auch  zarter  Frauen  nahten  viel 
In  Trachten,  f  remd  und  eigen ; 
Ein  schlummerndes  Jahrhundert  schien 
Mit  jeder  aufzusteigen. 


6«An  ein  schones  Kind  1-4  (VI,  321). 

"  Tgb.  I,  68. 

58  James  Huneker,  Iconoclasts,  pp.  374  ff. 

B»  Cf.  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben,  Nos.  1,  2,  3  (VI,  199  ff.)  ;  Auf 
eine  Unbekannte  (VI,  206)  ;  An  Hedwig  (VI,  208)  ;  Stanzen  auf 
ein  Sicilianisches  Schwesterpaar  (VI,  215) ;  Im  Garten  (VII, 
80). 


SILENCE  243 

Die  sanften  Augen  waren  all' 
So  suss  auf  mich  geheftet, 
Doch  war  der  lachelnd  holde  Mund 
Zur  Rede  zu  entkraftet." 

Geburtsnacht-Traunt,  41-8  (VI,  255) 

There  is  manifest  justice  in  ascribing  prominence  to 
silence  in  characters  of  the  type  supposed.  These  repre- 
sent either  ghostly  apparitions  or  the  shadowy  creatures 
of  dream,  or  they  are  characters  of  the  rare  sort  that 
dwell  apart  in  spiritual  isolation.  But  to  confine  oneself 
altogether  to  immaterial  and  cloistered  souls  is  to  culti- 
vate a  limited  range  of  human  interests.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  would  be  unwarrantable  to  treat  silence  as  a 
salient  quality  of  humanity  as  a  whole,  considered  in 
the  broad  compass  of  its  divergent  types.  For  the  ma- 
jority of  mortals  silence  is  neither  a  permanent  habit 
nor  a  characteristic  condition.  We  may  all  become  tem- 
porarily silent  from  various  causes,  but  in  few  of  us  is 
silence  the  ruling  trait,  the  quality  that  stamps  our  per- 
sonality. Hence  in  Hebbel's  personal  descriptions,  where 
brevity  demands  selection  of  salient  features,  silence  is 
made  to  overshadow  other  attributes  in  relatively  few 
instances. 

Nevertheless,  these  instances  awaken  curiosity  as  to 
their  connection  with  hereditary  and  environmental  fac- 
tors in  the  poet's  life.  Silent  reserve  is  characteristic  of 
the  sturdy  northern  stock  from  which  Hebbel  was  de- 
scended, and  he  has  portrayed  this  reserve  in  his 
Dithmarsischer  Bauer.60  Hebbel  himself  shared  the 
racial  trait  to  a  degree.  Certain  passages  in  the 
diaries  might  convey  the  impression  that  Hebbel  was  at 
heart  a  spiritual  recluse.61  The  entry  for  October  24, 


60  Werner  (VI,  160). 
61Tgb.  I,  484;  506;  572. 


244       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

1835,  begins  with  the  laconic  remark:  "Heute — Nichts 
zu  notieren,  viel  zu  behalten."62  He  expressed  the 
opinion  that  isolation  is  foreordained  for  certain  natures 
and  that  circumstances  frequently  seal  the  lips  of  those 
that  have  most  to  reveal.63  Furthermore,  the  morning 
and  evening  of  life  were  saddened  for  him  by  removal 
through  death  or  estrangement  of  intimate  companions. 
The  early  death  of  Emil  Rousseau  and  the  break  with 
Kuh  late  in  life  each  produced  a  void,  a  chilling  sense  of 
bereavement.  Recollections  of  childhood's  privations, 
memories  of  a  father's  severity  and  a  hard  employer's 
brutality,  bore  down  heavily  upon  Hebbel's  spirit 
throughout  a  great  part  of  his  life.64  Long  after  their 
actual  occurrence  he  dreams  of  such  boyhood  trials;  in 
vivid  re-experience  he  rehearses  those  pitiful  scenes  when 
he  had  to  endure  cruelty  in  silence,  burying  resentment 
deep  in  his  proud  breast.65  During  his  student  days  his 
benefactress,  Frau  Dr.  Schoppe,  gave  generously,  but  she 
also  exacted  jealously;  and  her  exactions  were  of  a 
nature  to  coerce  the  fine,  eager  spirit  of  the  young  poet. 
His  natural  recourse  under  such  tyrannical  overbearance 
was  to  spiritual  retirement;  sickened  by  the  intrigues  of 
Frau  Schoppe's  circle,  his  sensitive  nature  recoiled  with 
ever-increasing  aversion  from  contacts  that  brought  him 
only  mental  and  moral  torture.  The  estrangements  from 


62  Tgb.  I,  108. 

63  "Gerade,  wer  die  beste  Zunge  hat,  muss  still  schweigen," 
Tgb.  I,  1267. 

64  "In  Dithmarschen  hat  mich  Keiner  gekannt.     Wenn  ein 
Mensch  im  Sumpf  liegt  und  dem  Ertrinken  nahe  ist,  kann  ihn 
Niemand  kennen  lernen,"  Tgb.  II,  2429.    "Etwas,  doch  nur  wenig, 
bin   ich   auch   in   der  mir  in  den   Dithmarsischen  Schmach-und 
Pein-Verhaltnissen  verloren  gegangenen  Fertigkeit,  mich,  wenn 
ich   Menschen   gegeniiber   stehe,   selbst   fur  einen   Menschen   zu 
halten,  weiter  gekommen,"  Tgb.  I,  552  (last  sentence). 

<»Tgb.  I,  1265. 


SILENCE  245 

those  once  near  to  him  increased  toward  the  close  of 
life ;  bitterly  does  he  contrast  the  unselfish  loyalty  of  his 
animal  pets  with  the  unsubstantial  devotion  of  friends. 
The  temptation  is  thus  strong  to  surmise  temperamental 
tendencies  in  his  regard  for  taciturn  and  undemon- 
strative types,  like  demure  maidens  and  gentle,  low- 
voiced  women.  The  query  naturally  arises,  could  not 
the  prevalence  of  silence  and  solitude  as  poetic  media 
in  Hebbel's  songs  be  the  effect  of  ancestral  or  individual 
bent  early  accentuated  by  the  depressing  experiences  of 
youth  and  young  manhood? 

But  the  matter  has  another  side,  which  may  not  in  fair- 
ness be  ignored.  Those  who  were  in  a  position  to  know 
do  not  emphasize  taciturnity  as  the  keynote  of  Hebbel's 
disposition.  His  loved  ones  were  most  impressed  by 
quite  other  traits.  They  revert  again  and  again  to  the 
well  of  childlike  tenderness  and  playfulness  imbedded 
deep  within  his  rugged  nature.  His  own  confessions  are 
too  numerous  to  permit  us  ever  to  forget  his  choleric 
temper,  the  phase  of  his  nature  that  made  intimate  inter- 
course with  him  at  times  most  trying.  Kuh  and  others 
have  recorded  the  animation  of  his  manner  and  the 
picturesque  power  of  his  language  when  discussing  or 
disputing  with  his  associates.  His  reticence  as  a  young 
man  may  have  been  due  in  part  to  instinctive  preference 
for  solitude,  but  it  was  probably  largely  the  result  of  an 
early  environment  unfavorable  to  sociability.  A  remark 
of  Napoleon's  emphasizing  the  importance  upon  later 
life  of  early  social  intercourse  is  copied  with  concurring 
comment  by  Hebbel  into  his  diary.  He  contrasts  with 
Napoleon's  rare  opportunities  his  own  early  ostracism, 
his  enforced  association  with  menials  while  in  Mohr's 
employ.  To  these  early  associations  he  attributes  his 
reticence  and  embarrassment,  traits  that  he  fears  he  will 


246        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

never  overcome.66  During  his  sojourn  in  Miinchen,  soli- 
tary life  meant  for  him  spiritual  decay.67  He  broods 
over  his  isolation,  over  the  lack  of  opportunity  for  con- 
versing, which  he  considers  indispensable.  Bitterly  does 
he  complain  of  Gravenhorst's  remissness  in  correspond- 
ence, of  Rendtorf's  incapacity  for  "einen  freien  Geistes- 
und  Stunden-Erguss."68  In  Hamburg,  to  be  alone  with 
his  thoughts  and  moods  was  to  be  exposed  to  the  venom 
of  despair.69  Joyously  does  he  hail  the  prospect  of  the 
Copenhagen  journey  because  of  the  opportunity  thus 
afforded  of  cultivating  new  associations.  Whatever  re- 
tirement and  solitude  may  have  done  for  his  develop- 
ment as  a  poet,  he  is  convinced  that  they  have  hampered 
his  growth  as  a  man.70  In  a  letter  to  Janens,71  he  esti- 
mates his  Copenhagen  sojourn  as  not  unimportant,  since 
it  has  brought  him  again  into  closer  touch  with  his  fel- 
lowmen,  from  whom  he  had  lived  for  a  time  in  bitter 
estrangement.  He  speaks  here  of  his  growing  sociability 
and  friendliness  as  of  a  return  to  sentiments  that  had 
early  animated  him.  He  does  not  regret  the  interval  of 
cold  aloofness,  however;  it  was  well,  he  thinks,  that  he 
experienced  this  opposite  extreme  also.  He  is  convinced 
that  his  recovery  will  prove  permanent.  For  this  re- 
covery was  no  mere  transient  elation  due  to  improved 
material  conditions;  rather  had  severe  self-examination 
convinced  him  that  henceforth  he  must  concede  far  more 


««  Tgb.  II,  2442.    Cf.  also  Tgb.  II,  2429. 

«7  Tgb.  I,  1392. 

68  Tgb.  I,  1352.  He  concludes  the  complaint  over  his  lone- 
liness with  the  melancholy  comment :  "Ueberhaupt,  was  ist  denn 
entsetzlich?  Nicht,  dass  eine  Welt  zu  Triimmer  gehen,  sondern, 
dass  sie  so  ganz  im  Stillen  venvesen  kann !" 

«9  Tgb.  I,  1701,  p.  381,  Is.  5  ff. :"....  da  bin  ich  fur  den 
ganzen  Tag  auf  mein  Zimmer  verwiesen  und  kann  mich  recht 
dick  voll  Gift  saugen." 

™  Tgb.  II,  2586. 

71  Tgb.  II,  2639. 


SILENCE  247 

to  the  world  and  far  less  to  himself.72  Quite  compatible 
sentiments  are  expressed  with  relation  to  his  Paris  so- 
journ. He  regrets  that  he  had  not  at  the  very  outset 
enjoyed  the  diversion  and  excitement  of  the  great  city 
proper,  instead  of  living  for  a  time  banished  to  the  seclu- 
sion of  St.  Germain  en  Laye.  Despite  this  temporary 
retreat  he  soon  came  under  the  spell  of  Parisian  life, 
and  his  feelings  upon  taking  leave  were  most  tender.73 
His  manifest  satisfaction  over  gradually  acquired  affa- 
bility in  company  would  seem  to  be  the  expression  of 
relief  at  the  removal  of  one  more  hindrance  to  self- 
realization.74  True  he  appears  to  recant  late  in  life;  in 
moods  of  bitter  estrangement  he  says  hard  things  about 
companionship  and  fellow  communion.75  And  such 
moods  undeniably  left  him  with  the  conviction  that  iso- 
lation and  silent  aloofness  are  after  all  the  most  exalted 
sphere  of  soul  life.  Yet  with  all  his  acknowledgments 
to  the  sublimity  of  silence  and  solitude,  to  their  distinc- 
tion as  higher  media,  he  evidently  craved  friendly  society. 
He  chafed  under  seclusion,  and  he  regarded  animated 
intercourse  in  conversation  or  in  correspondence,  as  im- 
portant for  his  spiritual  development.76  He  even  pro- 
nounces sympathy  with  one's  fellowmen  as  fundamental 
to  appreciation  of  art.  Art,  then,  is  one  of  the  many 
manifestations  of  the  sociable  instinct.77  Hebbel's 


72  Tgb.  II,  2639,  Is.  28  ff.    Cf.  Tgb.  I,  746. 

73  Cf    again   Hebbel's   remark :   "Ich   bedarf   der   grossen 
Stadt,  ich  verzehre  Menschen,"  Kuh,  II,  669. 

74  Tgb.  I,  552,  last  sentence. 

7» Tgb.  IV,  5411;  5937,  Is.  98 ff.;  5948;  6146. 

76  Tgb.  I,  1352. 

77"Alle  Theilnahme  an  der  Kunst,  beruht  auf  der  Theil- 
nahme  an  fremden  Existenzen,"  Tgb.  I,  1078.  "Gerade  die 
Kunst  ist  es,  die  das  Leben  erweitert,  die  es  dem  beschrankten 
Individuum  vergonnt,  sich  in  das  Fremde  und  Unerreichbare  zu 
verlieren;  dies  ist  ihre  herrlichste  Wirkung,"  Tgb.  I,  1524.  Cf. 
also  Guyau,  L'art  au  point  de  vue  sociologique,  Ch.  I,  especially 
part  III. 


248        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

genuine  patriotism,  his  approval  of  strongly  organized 
society  and  of  the  state,  are  constantly  brought  out  in 
his  works.78  His  diaries  and  letters  show  that  his  heart 
was  warmed  by  the  merry  companies  that  gathered  to 
celebrate  birthday  or  holiday  in  his  Vienna  home.  He 
would  hurry  back  from  library  or  from  promenade  to 
enjoy  a  discussion  with  some  congenial  spirit.  And  Kuh 
ascribes  his  own  breach  with  Hebbel  to  the  latter's  un- 
reasonable displeasure  at  the  curtailment  of  their  inter- 
course.79 

Thus  candid  consideration  of  biographical  data  leaves 
a  reasonable  doubt  whether  the  prominence  of  silence 
and  solitude  in  Hebbel's  poems  may  be  traced,  primarily, 
to  inherited  racial  factors.  In  a  limited  number  of 
poems — typified  by  the  examples  above80 — silence  is  ob- 
viously selected  as  the  dominant  trait  of  the  character 
depicted.  Upon  the  prominence  of  these  obvious  cases 
the  contention  of  atavistic  influence  must  chiefly  rest. 
Another  group  of  passages  yields  less  conclusive  evi- 
dence, since  in  them  there  is  room  for  the  inference  that 
the  silence  noted  is  referable  to  the  particular  mood  por- 
trayed. His  eastern  prince,  his  Roman  girl,  his  sweet 
maidens,  all  may  have  been  creatures  of  the  reserved 
type.81  On  the  other  hand,  they  might  have  been  quite 
the  reverse  and  yet  conceivably  have  subsided  into 


78  H.  Rossow,  D.   Staatsgedanke  bei  Fr.   Hebbel,  Munch. 
Allg.  Ztg,  114  Jg.,  Nr.  3,  S.  40-1. 
TO  Kuh,  II,  674-5. 

80  Cf.  also  "Dein  Ahnherr  ....  tnit  seiner  schonen,  stillen 
Braut":  Das  alte  Haus  8-10  (VI,  266).     "Der  fremde  Jiingling 
ist  still  und  stumm":   Der  Tanz  18   (VII,  72).     "Still,  wie  du 
nahtest,  hast  du  dich  erhoben" :   Auf  eine  Unbekannte  5    (VI, 
206).    "Nun  hat  das  reiche  Leben,  ....  in  deinem  stillen  Weben 
den  Punct,  in  dem  es  schliesst" :   Sommerreise  9-12   (VI,  276). 
"Vom  stillen  Reizenden" :  Im  rpmischen  Carneval  9  (VI,  308). 

81  "Er  sieht  das  Magdlein  lange  an,  ....  und  nickt  nur 
still nun  weis't  er  stumm  den  Mohren  fort" :  Die  Odaliske 


SILENCE  249 

silence  as  the  result  of  environmental  conditions.  So 
interpreted,  these  instances  could  be  adequately  ac- 
counted for  upon  other  than  distinctly  racial  grounds. 
For  silence  like  sound  is  no  uncommon  outward  accom- 
paniment of  passion,  the  world  over.  Strong  feelings 
may  arrest  speech  and  accordingly  any  poet  might  resort 
to  breathless  astonishment,  unspeakable  joy,  grief  too 
overpowering  for  words,  terrors  that  stifle  utterance. 
Furthermore,  silence  readily  ingratiates  itself  with  poets 
of  the  most  varied  type,  merely  upon  the  ground  of  "use 
and  wont."  As  an  effectual  aid  to  "atmosphere,"  to 
dramatic  tension  and  suspense,  silence  is  an  accredited, 
traditional  device.  This  fact  may  not  be  minimized  in 
establishing  the  right  relation  of  Hebbel's  "silence"  with 
his  personality  and  his  art.  We  may  get  some  light  upon 
this  relation  by  comparing  Hebbel  with  certain  other 
writers,  particularly  with  those  whose  creations  trans- 
port us  into  the  realm  of  the  weird  and  the  unusual.  In 
the  case  of  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann  the  predominance  of 
striking  sounds  and  colors  as  emotional  adjuncts  is  in- 
contestable, yet  sometimes  the  spirit  of  a  scene  or  the 
dominant  mood  of  one  or  more  persons  is  effected  by 
the  introduction  of  silence.  In  Elixiere  des  Teufels, 
Medardus  depicts  the  cloistral  quiet  in  which  he  spent 
his  boyhood ;  not  even  the  buzz  of  a  fly  or  the  chirp  of 
a  cricket  disturbed  the  hush,  which  the  sound  of  chanting 
monks  only  deepened  by  affording  momentary  contrast. 
A  little  later,  Medardus  enumerates  the  mournful  hymn 
of  pilgrims,  the  sobs  of  devout  penitents,  the  unseemly 
singing  and  laughter  of  worldly  revellers,  all  of  whom 
the  festival  of  St.  Bernard  has  gathered  at  the  monas- 


29-30;  37  (VI,  187).  ".  .  .  .  wenn  sie  still  an  mir  voriiber- 
schwebt,"  etc.:  Em  fruhes  Liebesleben  13  (VI,  199).  "Wie  eine 
Blume  bist  du  still  erglommen" :  An  eine  Romerin  6  (VI,  308). 


250        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tery.  Suddenly,  at  the  stroke  of  the  monastery  bell,  all 
loud  demonstration  subsides  into  a  prayerful  hush,  the 
ensuing  silence  is  hardly  impressed  by  the  low,  mumbled 
prayers  of  the  worshippers.  Indeed,  before  the  elixir 
begins  its  work,  Medardus  is  represented  as  naturally 
verschlossen.  As  a  boy  in  church,  he  is  wafted  into 
silent  transports  by  the  magnificence  of  the  music  and 
the  ritual.  The  first  assertion  of  his  sensual  nature  is 
attended  by  silence;  at  the  sight  of  the  maiden's  un- 
covered bosom,  he  is  choked  by  the  upgush  of  his  pas- 
sion, all  power  of  speech  is  momentarily  palsied. 

If  in  Hoffmann  the  employment  of  silence  is  on  the 
whole  infrequent,  it  is  more  strikingly  effectual  in  weird 
scenes  and  moods  depicted  by  Edgar  Allan  Poe.  The 
silent  House  of  Usher,  its  "vacant  and  eye-like  win- 
dows" imaged  in  the  "black  and  lurid  tarn,"  the  lady 
Madeline  passing  like  a  ghost  through  "a  remote  portion 
of  the  apartment,"  her  gruesome  fate,  all  these  effects 
seem  like  horrible  fancies  of  a  diseased  mind  on  a  "dull, 
dark  and  soundless  day  in  autumn"  such  as  that  with 
which  the  story  begins.  Like  Hebbel,  Poe  frequently  has 
recourse  to  sounds.  In  the  very  story  alluded  to,  a 
Steigerung  of  the  terror  is  effected  through  the  intro- 
duction of  startling  and  uncanny  noises.  Yet  the 
silences  seem  more  characteristic  of  Poe's  technic.  He 
tends  to  revert  to  silence  at  impressional  stages  of  his 
narrative — at  the  beginning  perhaps,  for  initial  effect, 
or  at  the  end,  as  if  he  would  leave  a  dead  hush  with  the 
reader  as  the  last,  the  abiding  impression.  And  so  after 
the  noise  of  falling  walls  and  the  sound  of  "thousand 
waters,"  the  black  tarn  closes  "suddenly  and  silently  over 
the  fragments  of  the  House  of  Usher." 

Hebbel  seems  to  occupy  a  position  nearer  to  Poe  than 
to  Hoffmann  with  respect  to  the  employment  of  silence. 


SILENCE  251 

On  the  other  hand,  Hebbel  made  use  of  the  tones  of 
nature  and  of  the  human  voice  with  much  the  same  effect 
as  Hoffmann — though  under  much  severer  repression. 
Indeed,  Hoffmann — with  whose  works  Hebbel  early 
became  acquainted82 — may  not  have  been  without  direct 
influence  here.  Thus  Hebbel  by  reason  of  his  pronounced 
fondness  for  both  media  has  points  of  contact  with 
two  authors  whose  art  is  rather  divergent  with  respect 
to  these  particular  features.  And  here  the  temptation 
is  irresistible  to  connect  Hebbel's  technic  with  promi- 
nent temperamental  characteristics.  Taken  as  a  whole, 
Hebbel's  diaries  would  appear  to  reveal  a  double  nature; 
a  twofold  impulse  controlled  his  life  and  his  art.  On 
the  one  hand  the  impulse  to  ponder  the  problem  of  self 
and  non-self — which  was  perhaps  only  a  kind  of  meta- 
physical emotionalism,  a  specific  form  of  the  general 
human  tendency  to  grasp  the  spiritual  essence  of  things ; 
and  this  tendency  was  favored  by  the  habit — inherited, 
it  may  be,  or  the  effect  of  circumstances — of  living  apart 
at  intervals  in  spiritual  retreat,  and  of  regarding  such 
silent  retreat  as  an  essential  element  of  the  rhythm  and 
music  of  universal  life.  On  the  other  hand  the  diaries 
reveal  in  Hebbel  an  impulse — intermittent  in  occurrence 
yet  irrepressible  in  power — to  confide  to  others  the  soul's 
passionate  secrets,  an  elemental  yearning  for  intellectual 
companionship,  for  quickening  personal  contacts,  con- 
tacts in  which  Hebbel's  fellowmen  were  usually  con- 
sumed, in  which  they  generally  served  to  nourish  the 
tissue  of  his  own  unyielding  personality.  To  this  demo- 
niacal side  of  Hebbel's  being  Kuh's  biography  gives  ade- 
quate testimony.83  And  so  it  is  his  retreating  nature  that 

82Tgb.  11,2425;  2428. 

83  Kuh  describes  Hebbel  as  a  kind  of  "t)bermensch" :  "Er 
zahlte  zu  jenen  starken  von  dem  Drange  sich  auszuleben  erfiillten 
Menschen,"  etc. :  Kuh,  II,  669. 


252        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

must  be  conquered  before  he  can  write  the  congratu- 
latory letter  to  the  grand-duke  of  Sachsen- Weimar.84 
And  it  is  his  outpouring,  assertive  nature  that  makes 
reserved  silence  impossible  wherever  his  heart  is  fer- 
vidly enlisted.85  And  the  ebb  and  the  flow  are  both  re- 
corded, the  nature  that  recoils  merges  with  the  nature 
that  clamors  for  fellowship  in  the  seeming  paradox: 
"Ich  kann  den  Umgang  aller  Menschen  entbehren,  aber 
ich  kann  mich  gegen  keinen  Einzigen,  mit  dem  ich  um- 
gehe,  verschliessen."86 

Such  a  double  nature  could  not  well  produce  creatures 
of  one  or  the  other  tendency  exclusively.  And  so  the 
poems  portray,  as  we  should  naturally  expect,  people  of 
both  tendencies — the  demonstrative  and  the  reserved. 
Obviously  these  qualities  are  not  mutually  exclusive,  as 
Hebbel's  own  character  attests — assuming  our  analysis 
to  be  valid.  To  a  certain  degree  such  a  double  tendency 
is  quite  usual  among  men,  though  the  two  extremes  are 
not  always  equally  pronounced.  The  predominance  of 
the  one  or  the  other  tendency  becomes  then  a  matter  of 
mood.  If  our  reasoning  is  correct,  we  should  surmise 
that  the  silent  reserve  of  Hebbel's  imagined  persons 
would  occur  for  the  most  part  as  a  physical  concomitant 
of  a  passing  mental  state,  and  less  often  as  an  index  of 
a  fixed  temperament. 

This  surmise  is  borne  out  by  an  examination  of  the 
pertinent  instances.  Incontestably,  the  silent  persons  in 
the  lyrics  as  in  real  life  are  generally  they  over  whom 
some  mood  has  acquired  temporary  mastery.  If  we 
cannot  dogmatically  posit  the  operation  of  racial  or  per- 


84  Tgb.  IV,  5923,  where  Hebbel  defends  his  instinctive  re- 
serve. 

8»  Tgb.  II,  2369. 

86  Tgb.  11,2364. 


SILENCE  253 

sonal  factors  as  primal  causes  here,  at  least  we  know 
that  Hebbel  was  himself  especially  given  to  those  moods 
that  come  with  seclusion  and  silence.  Upon  the  basis 
of  rich  personal  experience  we  can  understand  the  un- 
common frequency  of  this  effect  in  his  lyrics  and  the 
uncommon  success  with  which  it  is  employed.  A  certain 
realism  characterizes  Hebbel's  handling  of  this  as  of 
other  sensuous  media.  As  in  life,  so  in  the  poems,  this 
phenomenon  is  apt  to  occur  as  concomitant  of  emotional 
crises,  heights  of  feeling,  and  therefore  it  is  frequently 
but  momentary  and  may  be  followed  by  vigorous  vocal 
demonstrations.  The  apoplectic  silence  of  such  emo- 
tional crises,  like  the  speechlessness  attending  more  sub- 
dued and  gentle  moods,  tends  to  arrest  action  and  fix 
attention  upon  the  momentary  attitude. 

Varied  and  intricate  are  the  forms  of  mental  life  into 
which  silence  enters  as  a  characteristic  factor.  Many  of 
these  are  to  be  found  in  the  songs,  both  the  hereditary 
types  of  emotion  and  the  more  complicated  individual 
impulses  with  all  their  elaborate  refinements.  Die  junge 
Mutter  well  exhibits  the  variety  of  states,  both  mental 
and  physical,  that  silence  may  very  expressively  be  made 
to  accompany.  The  young  mother  lost  in  silent  adoration ; 
the  blissful  contentment  of  the  babe;  then  the  inaudible 
drooping  of  the  frail  human  blossom,  and  the  mother's 
mute  agony — all  this  is  genuinely  impressive: 

"  Sie  hat  ein  Kind  geboren, 
Zu  hochster  Lust  in  tiefstem  Leid, 
Und  ist  nun  ganz  verloren 
In  seine  stumme  Lieblichkeit. 

Es  bluht  zwei  kurze  Tage, 

So  dass  sie's  eben  kiissen  mag, 

Und  ohne  Laut  und  Klage 

Neigt  es  sein  Haupt  am  dritten  Tag. 


254       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Und  wie  es  still  erblasste, 
So  tragt  sie  still  den  heil'gen  Schmerz, 
Und  eh'  sie's  ganz  noch  fasste, 
Dass  es  dahin  ist,  bricht  ihr  Herz." 

Die  junge  Mutter,  1-12  (VI,  179) 

The  poem  Auf  eine  Verlassene  (VII,  160)  further  il- 
lustrates the  effectual  portrayal  of  mental  states  through 
the  medium  of  concomitant  silences.  By  this  most  simple 
token  there  is  vividly  communicated  to  us  a  variety  of 
moods  felt  by  a  variety  of  beings :  cold  disdain,  penitent 
shame,  human  sympathy,  the  heavenly  innocence  of 
childhood,  the  still,  serene  compassion  of  the  Almighty: 

"  Und  wenn  Dich  Einer  schmahen  will, 
So  zeig'  ihm  stumm  Dein  schones  Kind, 
Das  macht  die  Seele  weit  und  still, 
Das  schmeichelt  alien  Sinnen  lind. 

Und  wenn  er  in  dies  Auge  blickt, 
So  neigt  er  sich  in  heil'gem  Graus, 
Und  wahnt,  im  Innersten  durchziickt, 
Gott  selber  schaue  stumm  heraus." 

Auf  eine  Verlassene,  1-4;  9-12  (VII,  160) 

As  an  adjunct  of  soul  portraiture  then,  as  a  medium 
of  representing  moods  and  states  of  mind,  silence  plays 
no  mean  part  in  Hebbel's  descriptions.  A  few  passages 
are  here  submitted  to  exhibit  more  in  detail  Hebbel's 
manner  of  utilizing  silence  as  a  concrete  symbol  of  the 
soul  states  of  his  creatures.  Obviously  in  lyrics  that 
describe  visions,  the  terms  of  silence  are  simply  part  of 
the  dream  device,  and  thus  may  be  disregarded.87  The 
other  instances  may  be  roughly  grouped  according  to  the 


87  Geburtsnacht-Traum  5,  47-8  (VI,  255) ;  Wiedersehen 
29-31  (VII,  134) ;  Traum  18,  27,  81,  95  (VII,  166)  ;  Die  Ver- 
schmahte  10  (VI,  319);  Stillstes  Leben  18  (VII,  140). 


SILENCE  255 

moods  that  have  mastered  for  the  time  being  the  per- 
sons described.  The  examples  in  each  group  naturally 
exhibit  a  variety  of  forms  and  phases  of  the  emotional 
states  in  question. 

Tender  Emotions88 

(a)  Religious  Adoration.  Roughly  speaking  we  may 
say  that  in  Hebbel's  lyrics  a  very  large  share  of  the  men- 
tal states  into  the  portrayal  of  which  silence  enters  as  an 
element  are  expressions  of  one  phase  or  another  of  the 
tender  emotions.  In  the  broad  sense  these  emotions  may 
be  regarded  as  including  the  religious  passion,  the  senti- 
ment of  divine  worship.  From  the  instinctive  love  of 
offspring  for  parent  may  be  supposed  ultimately  to  have 
developed  the  more  spiritual  sentiment  of  tender  devotion 
on  the  part  of  the  creature  toward  his  divine  Creator. 
And  Hebbel  manifestly  regarded  silence  as  a  fitting  attri- 
bute of  the  religious  mood,  as  a  feature  of  conduct  proper 
to  persons  engaged  in  devotional  acts.89  The  mood  is 
represented  under  a  variety  of  attendant  circumstances: 
the  faithful  congregation  about  to  receive  the  Eucharist ; 
the  worshipper  bringing  offerings  to  the  altar ;  the  maiden 
imploring  through  silent  contrition  Divine  forgiveness 
for  disgrace  and  sin;  the  emotional  and  imaginative 


88  In  the  classification  that  follows  many  suggestions  and 
much  guidance  have  been  derived  from  Bain's  Emotions  and  the 
Will,  pp.  124-299. 

89  Abendmahl  des  Herrn  5    (VII,   122)  ;  Adams  Opfer  5 
(VI,   238) ;    Versohnung   21-2    (VI,   272)  ;    Bubensonntag   41-2 
(VI,   198)  ;   Die  heilige   Drei  89-90   (VI,  181)  ;   Das  alte   Haus 
27-8   (VI,  266)  ;  Der  Priester  19   (VII,   149) ;   Laura  25    (VII, 
19)  ;  Elegie  7  (VII,  22)  ;  Das  Venerabile  in  der  Nacht  32  (VI, 
286);  Der  Mensch  und  die  Geschichte  12   (VI,  320).     Cf.  also 
".  .  .  .  Augen,  sanft  gehoben" :  Opfer  des  Friihlings  3  (VI,  217). 
But  cf.  An  die  Jiinglinge  27-8  (VI,  236),  where  youth  is  urged 
not  to  bow  in  humble  silence  before  God,  but  to  honor  Him 
through  proud,  erect  bearing. 


256        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

youth  awed  by  the  mysteries  of  religion ;  the  penitent  soul 
awaiting  death  in  devout  resignation  and  composure. 
We  see  the  priest  silently  blessing  his  flock ;  or  a  maiden 
kneeling  in  voiceless  prayer;  or  again  a  mother  moving 
noiselessly  about  lest  she  disturb  the  sacred  devotions 
of  her  daughters.  The  power  of  speech  forsakes  mortals 
overpowered  with  the  feeling  of  veneration  in  the  pres- 
ence of  divine  works. 

(b)  Love.  The  ever-shifting  moods  that  attend  the 
master-passion,  the  aches  and  joys  that  spring  from 
sexual  love,  that  reveal  its  quality  and  mark  its  ebb  and 
flow — these  are  frequently  recorded  with  telling  effect 
in  the  lyrics  through  the  simple  medium  of  silence.  There 
is  one  instance  of  the  unearthly  and  mystic  love  that 
deifies  the  object  of  affection  and  converts  stormy  pas- 
sion into  silent  adoration.  The  sweet  modest  innocence 
of  the  adored  one  affords  perfectly  adequate  motivation 
for  a  love  that  borders  on  religion : 

"  O  susses,  susses  Jungf  raunbild ! 
In  Engelf rieden  hingegossen ! 
Noch  Kind,  und  doch  so  gottlich  abgeschlossen ! 
Demiithig,  sicher,  stolz  und  mild! 

O  Jungfraunbild,  dich  mogt'  ich  nicht — 
Es  war'  mir,  wie  ein  Raub— umfangen, 
Ich  mogte  vor  dir  niederknie'n  und  hangen 
An  deinem  Himmelsangesicht. 

Dann  lag'  ich  stumm  in  heil'ger  Scheu, 
Du  aber  wiirdest  fromm  ergliihen, 
Und  still  und  kindlich  bei  mir  niederknieen 
Und  sinnen,  wo  die  Heil'ge  sei." 

Ein  fruhes  Liebesleben,  1-12  (VI,  199) 

Schon  Hedwig's  simple  confession  of  innocent  and  un- 
selfish love  for  her  Prince  is  preceded  by  a  momen- 


SILENCE  257 

tary  silent  struggle.90  The  love-lorn  maiden  in  Liebes- 
zauber  yearns  for  her  absent  lover  in  silence,  only  to 
be  lost  in  an  ecstasy  too  deep  for  words  when  her  long- 
ings have  been  gratified  by  "rapturous  union."91  The 
passion  here  depicted  is  that  still  fusion  of  soul  with 
soul  that  would  be  startled  by  formal  confession,  mute 
naive  love  that  without  the  conventional  proposal  and 
plighting  of  troth  instinctively  presupposes  a  responsive 
affection  on  the  part  of  the  mate  as  something  primordial, 
prenatally  ordained — "einen  stillen  Bund"  (line  56). 

A  few  other  of  the  characteristic  phases  and  situations 
in  the  drama  of  love  are  represented  through  the  aid  of 
silence :  the  intoxication  of  first  love  ;92  the  clash  of  pas- 
sion and  pride  in  the  soul  of  a  maiden,  half  enticed  and 
half  repulsed  by  the  presumption  of  the  wooer;93  the 
passion,  deep  yet  undemonstrative,  smoldering  beneath 
the  reserve  of  chaste  maidenhood.94 

The  passages  from  Die  junge  Mutter  and  Auf  eine 
Verlassene  quoted  above  are  good  specimens  of  Hebbel's 
power  of  portraying  parental  affection  through  silence. 
With  similar  sympathy  are  the  appealing  helplessness 
and  dependence  of  babyhood  revealed  through  the  same 
medium.  The  dreamy  contentment  of  the  babe  resting 
blissfully  secure  in  his  mother's  arms  inspired  the  poet 
to  these  singularly  tender  lines : 

"  Du  blickst,  um  deiner  Mutter  Hals  dich  schmiegend, 
Mich  hold  und  lachelnd  an,  ein  sel'ger  Stummer ; 
Die  Wonne  schliesst  den  Mund,  ihn  los't  der  Kummer, 
Du  brauchst  die  Sprache  nicht,  in  Lust  dich  wiegend." 

An  ein  schones  Kind,  1-4  (VI,  321) 

90  Schon  Hedwig  41  (VI,  172). 

»i  Liebeszauber  25-9  (VI,  156). 

92  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben  101-2;  155-6  (VI,  199). 

93Lustig  tritt  ein  schoner  Knabe  11  (VI,  437). 

»4  Das  griechische  Madchen  22  (VII,  137). 


258        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Childhood's  trials  and  triumphs  abound  in  poetic  stir- 
rings for  Hebbel.  Thus  he  muses  upon  the  theme  of  the 
little  culprit  secretly  revelling  in  his  first  bold  escapade  ;95 
upon  the  child  greeting  with  mute  delight  its  own  image 
shimmering  luringly  from  the  bottom  of  the  well.96 

(c)  Sorrow.  Tender  emotions  lie  at  the  basis  of 
sorrow  in  its  many  forms.  Affection,  so  exhilarating 
when  all  is  well,  induces  most  depressing  mental  states 
when  the  object  of  tender  regard  is  temporarily  absent 
or  permanently  removed.  In  the  lyrics  the  bitterness  of 
bereavement  is  constantly  encountered.97  The  forms 
vary  with  the  stages  of  the  regret  from  overpowering 
grief  to  more  subdued  recollection  of  the  dead.  Refer- 
ence is  made  also  to  a  variety  of  experiences  associated 
with  death :  there  is  the  noiseless  coming  of  the  Reaper 
himself  ;98  the  silent  passing  of  life,  now  peaceful,99 
now  attended  with  mute  suffering;100  the  last  hushed 
ministrations  to  the  dead;101  the  inaudible  return  of  the 
departed  spirits  to  communicate  with  those  who  have 
survived  on  earth.102 

With  these  may  be  associated  the  silence  into  which 
we  are  plunged  by  the  estrangements,  the  breaks  of  one 


»5  Das  erste  Zechgelag  18  (VI,  155). 

»«Das  Kind  am  Brunnen  20  (VI,  180). 

97  Memento  vivere  4  (VI,  269)  ;  Nachtlicher  Gruss  17-21 
(VI,  227)  ;  Alte  Widmung,  etc.,  9-10  (VI,  274)  ;  Der  Tod  kennt 
den  Weg  9-12  (VI,  394)  ;  Er  und  ich  19  (VII,  24)  ;  Der  Knabe 
27-8  (VII,  116)  ;  Die  junge  Mutter  10  (VI,  179)  ;  Auf  ein  altes 
Madchen  31-2  (VI,  207)  ;  Ein  Spatziergang  in  Paris  112-3  (VI, 
241). 

"An  einen  Verkannten  22-3  (VII,  40). 

"Die  junge  Mutter  7-9  (VI,  179);  Sonett,  entire  (VII, 
174)  ;  Grossmutter  47-8  (VI,  240). 

100  Der  Maler  7-8  (VI,  175);  Opfer  des  Friihlings  89 
(VI,  217). 

wiLetzter  Wunsch  9   (VI,  366). 

102  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben  91-2  (VI,  199). 


SILENCE  259 

form  or  another  in  our  happy  relations  with  those  we 
love.103 

Sociability  is  a  rich  fountain  of  human  experience. 
Our  natural  love  of  companionship,  of  the  accompani- 
ments of  favor  and  attachment  on  the  part  of  our  fellows 
affords  us  fundamental  pleasures.  The  withdrawal  of  the 
sources  of  these  pleasures  is  attended  with  depression  of 
spirits  akin  to  personal  bereavement.  The  lyrics  occa- 
sionally employ  silence  to  reveal  the  depressive  moods 
that  spring  from  such  deprivation  of  the  sociable  pleas- 
ures. Hebbel  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  silence 
that  betokens  the  world's  estrangement,  its  proud  aloof- 
ness, its  stupid  or  supercilious  unfriendliness.104  He 
knew  too  well  the  killing  effects  of  society's  cold  disdain. 
That  disdain  he  met  with  a  noble  stoicism,  an  equally 
proud  reserve  that  derived  strength  from  the  conscious- 
ness of  a  high  mission  and  from  self -appreciation  at  once 
humble  and  exalted : 

"  Geht  stumm  an  dir  vorbei  die  Welt, 
So  f uhle  stolz  und  andachtsvoll : 
Ich  bin  ein  Kelch,  fur  Gott  bestellt, 
Der  ihn  allein  erquicken  soil !" 

Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht,  138-41  (VI,  287) 

The  stern  duties  of  life  are  often  provocative  of  serious, 
even  of  sombre  states  of  mind.  The  wrecking  of  cher- 
ished hopes  has  a  sting  very  like  sorrow  occasioned  by  the 
removal  of  loved  ones.  Hebbel  makes  us  share  in  his 
own  grim  suffering  as  he  struggled  silently  to  overcome 


1Q3  Drei  Schwestern  17-8  (VI,  405)  ;  Ein  nachtliches  Echo 
32  (VI,  150);  Das  Bettelmadchen  6  (VI,  181);  Dem  Schmerz 
sein  Recht  102  (VI,  287)  ;  Die  Spanierin  47-8  (VI,  176). 

lo*  An  den  Kiinstler  4  (VI,  314). 


260       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

the  obstacles  that  beset  him.105  He  makes  us  suffer  with 
one  whom  the  shattering  of  patriotic  ideals  has  plunged 
into  grief;106  with  another  who  has  sunk  beneath  the 
weight  of  unkind  fortune.107  Terrible  in  the  bottomless 
depth  of  despondency  and  the  inexpressible  bitterness  of 
resentment  is  the  following: 

"  Gott  weiss,  wie  tief  der  Meeresgrund, 
Gott  weiss,  wie  tief  die  Wunde  ist ! 
Auf  ewig  schliess'  ich  drum  den  Mund, 
Ich  werde  dadurch  nicht  gesund, 
Dass,  die  sie  schlug,  sie  auch  ermisst. 
Doch  sie,  die  Welt,  die  das  verbrach, 
Sie  schandet  meinen  stummen  Schmerz,"  etc. 
Dem  Schmerz  sein  Recht,  96-102  (VI,  287) 

(d)  Miscellaneous.  There  are  numerous  other 
moods  portrayed  in  the  lyrics,  which  silence  is  most  fitly 
made  to  accompany,  dreamy  moods  of  retrospect,  of  sad 
or  joyous  revery.  In  Drei  Schwestern,  17-8  (VI,  405), 
there  is  a  beautiful  allusion  to  the  young  woman  whose 
beauty  has  passed  the  meridian,  and  who  resigns  herself 
with  a  silent  shudder  to  the  shadows  of  time  that  begin 
to  dim  her  brow : 

"  Still  empfindet  sie  die  Macht  der  Zeit 
Im  ersten  Schauer  der  Verganglichkeit." 

All  the  alluring  mysteries  of  the  future  dawn  upon  the 
budding  soul  of  the  maiden  gazing  enraptured  at  her 
image  in  the  mirror.108  The  expectancies  and  delicious 
apprehensions  of  ripening  maidenhood,  the  coy  yielding 
to  the  premonitions  that  come  with  chaste  and  silent 

108  Ein  Geburtstag  auf  der  Reise  54,  61  (VI,  247).  Cf. 
also  Mein  Paan  9-10  (VI,  316). 

loe  Die  Polen  sollen  leben  12-4;  23  (VI,  170). 

lOTEine  moderne  Ballade  40  (VII,  188). 

108  Das  Madchen  im  Kampf  mit  sich  selbst  17-20  (VI, 
232). 


SILENCE  261 

merging  into  full  bloom — these  frequently  engaged  Heb- 
bel's  muse.  This  is  all  a  part  of  his  passionate  interest  in 
the  mystery  of  change,  in  the  myriad  manifestations  of 
that  strange  life-principle  that  throbs  alike  through  suns 
and  motes  : 

"  Erst  keusches  Leben,  wurzelhaft  gebunden, 
Dann  scheuer  Vortraum  von  sich  selbst,  der  leise 
Hiniiber  fuhrt  zur  wirklichen  Entfaltung." 

Juno  Ludovisi,  9-11  (VI,  325) 

Furthermore,  mention  is  repeatedly  made  of  a  mood 
fascinating  in  its  strangeness,  an  apathetic  mental  state 
in  which  the  soul  seems  atrophied,  momentarily  stripped 
of  the  faculty  of  reaction  upon  sensations  pleasant  and 
unpleasant.  Hebbel  must  often  have  experienced  this 
condition;  he  speculates  upon  it  in  the  diaries,  and  util- 
izes it  in  the  songs : 

"Es  giebt  Momente,  die  nur  den  Samen  der  Freude  in's 
Herz  streuen,  die  der  Gegenwart  Nichts  bringen,  als 
einen  leisen  Schmerz,  und  die  im  eigentlichsten  Ver- 
stande  erst  unter  dem  Brennglase  der  Erinnerung  in 
ihrer  Bedeutung,  ihrem  Reichthum,  aufgehen.  Mancher 
dieser  Momente  mag  mit  einer  Stunde,  die  uns  erst 
jenseits  des  Grabes  erwartet,  correspondiren,"  Tgb.  I, 
1084. 

"  Das  Leben  hat  geheimnissvolle  Stunden, 
D'rin  thut,  selbst  herrschend,  die  Natur  sich  kund; 
Da  bluten  wir  und  fiihlen  keine  Wunden, 
Da  f  reu'n  wir  uns  und  f  reu'n  uns  ohne  Grund." 

Auf  eine  Unbekannte,  17-20  (VI,  206) 

"  Es  war  der  Morgen  vor  dem  Fest, 
An  dem  man  nur  noch  Traume  tauscht, 
Das  Weh,  das  keinen  Stachel  lasst, 
Die  Freude,  welche  nicht  berauscht." 

An  Hedwig,  9-12  (VI,  208 )109 

109  Cf.     also     Hochstes     Gebot     10-2     (VI,    235);     Dem 
Schmerz  sein  Recht  64-5;  68  (VI,  287). 


262        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Finally,  to  complete  our  classification  we  may  mention 
a  few  instances  of  silence  as  the  concomitant  of  aesthetic 
emotion ;  as  when  the  auditors  are  hushed  with  sympathy 
by  the  plaintive  music  of  the  blind  organ-grinder,110  or 
charmed  into  ecstatic  silence  by  the  master's  art.111 

So  much  may  suffice  to  show  the  prominence  of  silence 
and  solitude  in  Hebbel's  lyric  expression.  It  is  no  mere 
accident  that  our  illustrations  are  confined  so  largely  to 
examples  of  character  description.  This  but  reflects  the 
essentially  psychological  and  personal  fibre  of  Hebbel's 
songs,  and  suggests  the  soul  types  and  the  modal  states 
that  Hebbel  seemed  peculiarly  fitted  to  portray. 

And  yet  it  is  not  alone  the  mental  or  the  physical  states 
of  persons  that  we  must  look  for  in  these  passages  of 
silence  and  solitude.  Hebbel  does  not  merely  diffuse  an 
oracular  stillness  over  his  scenes  or  envelop  the  persons 
that  appear  in  them  with  an  impressive  silence,  as  a 
painter  might  let  his  objects  glimmer  dimly  through  a 
filmy  atmospheric  haze.  Were  this  all,  these  traits  might 
well  appear  to  be  mannerism,  in  so  far  as  they  would  not 
merely  duplicate  what  may  be  found  in  a  score  of  poets 
great  and  small.  Nor  does  Hebbel  employ  silence  and 
solitude  primarily  as  important  expressional  media  for 
his  alleged  pessimism — as  is  the  case  with  Leopardi.112 
There  is  a  feature  that  gives  to  Hebbel's  silence — as  to 
all  the  concrete  media  of  his  lyrics — an  individual  stamp ; 
a  feature  old  in  the  problem  that  it  embodies  and  yet 
new  in  the  intensity  with  which  that  problem  is  corre- 
lated with  art;  new  in  its  hints  of  an  ultimate,  trans- 
human  solution,  new  in  its  stern  yet  on-spurring  gospel 


"<>Der  blinde  Orgelspieler  1-2  (VII,  154). 

111  Der  Princess  Marie  von  Wittgenstein  7-8   (VI,  403). 
Cf.  Die  Spanierin  13^  (VI,  176). 

112  M.  Levi,  Silence  and   Solitude  in  the  Poems  of  Leo- 
pardi ;  Modern  Language  Notes,  June,  1909. 


SILENCE  263 

of  a  tragic  Weltprozess.  This  feature  is  not  so  much 
to  be  found  distinct  and  whole  in  any  one  definite  poem ; 
rather  must  we  gradually  construct  it,  as  here  a  verse, 
there  a  line  or  an  image  or  a  symbol  brings  a  partial  reve- 
lation of  it.  In  poems  seemingly  unpretentious,  almost 
commonplace,  such  as  Das  Hermelin  (VI,  264),  we  may 
get  a  glint  of  one  of  the  problem's  many  facets.113  Such 
insignificant  things  as  the  snowflake  melting  unnoted 
upon  the  window-pane,  or  the  petals  of  the  rose  flutter- 
ing silently  to  the  ground  become  signs  of  spiritual 
import,  symbols  of  that  strange,  tragic,  yet  beneficent 
cosmic  economy,  through  which  the  ultimate  trans- 
human  Idee  will  and  must  realize  itself,  despite  our  little 
individual  heartbreaks. 

There  is  no  necessity,  then,  for  defending  a  minute 
study  of  so  petty  a  matter  as  silence  and  solitude  in  Heb- 
bel's  poems.  The  more  the  depth  and  power  of  Hebbel's 
message  and  the  sterling  worth  of  his  art  reveal  them- 
selves, the  more  do  we  become  impressed  that  this  mes- 
sage cannot  be  fully  grasped  or  this  art  fully  felt  except 
through  most  conscientious  attention  to  our  poet's  media. 
If  there  really  is  the  immediate  affinity  between  the  uni- 
verse and  human  life  and  art  that  Hebbel  supposed,  then 
we  cannot  scrutinize  too  closely  the  expressional  media 
of  that  affinity.  The  most  common  word  must  then  assume 
a  consequence  to  which  its  ordinary  connotation  but 
crudely  approximates.  Students  of  Hebbel  are  coming 
more  and  more  to  emphasize  this.  Arno  Scheunert  de- 
clares that  natural  objects,  mental  states — Blume,  Sonne, 
Traumen — have  more  than  their  ordinary  significance 
when  in  the  nature-philosophy  and  ethical  creed  of  a 
poet  these  objects  are  "Symbole  eines  ganz  bestimmten, 


113  See  Der  Schmetterling  (VI,  196). 


264       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

iibersinnlichen  Waltens  der  Natur."114  A  student  of 
Hebbel's  poetry  must  discern  these  higher  values  that 
attach  to  the  ordinary  psycho-sensory  symbols  in  the 
poet's  Ideenkreis.  Our  study  of  Hebbel's  silence  and 
solitude  offers  in  a  humble  way  a  contribution  to  that  end. 


114Arno  Scheunert:  Uber  Hebbel's  aesthetische  Weltan- 
schauung und  Methoden  ihrer  Feststellung  (Zt.  fur  Aesthetik, 
1907,  pp.  70-120). 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  TACTUAL  SENSE 

Our  investigation  of  the  tactual  allusions  in  Hebbel's 
lyric  poems  must  not  be  taken  to  imply  acceptance  of  the 
tactual  sense  as  a  distinct  and  autonomous  sphere  of 
aesthetic  impression.  Personally,  we  are  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  bodily  feelings  participate  to  a  vital  degree 
in  our  mental  pleasures.  Impressions  of  touch,  of  tem- 
perature, strain,  etc.,  are  certainly  present  in  our  more 
fervid  responses  to  reproductions  of  beauty  in  nature 
or  in  man.  But  the  tactual  organism  is  many-headed, 
decentralized  as  compared  with  the  functional  mon- 
archism  of  sight  and  hearing.  One  unconsciously  shrinks 
from  recognizing  the  aesthetic  equality  of  bodily  feelings 
with  the  higher  impressions.  Yet  simple  justice  must 
credit  the  tactual  functions  with  a  considerable  share  in 
our  mental,  more  specifically  our  emotional  activities. 
And  tactual  qualities  would  seem  to  be  sufficiently  vin- 
dicated aesthetically,  if  mental  reproductions  of  them  are 
conceded  an  honorable  place  in  our  total  impressions  of 
art  work. 

Herder's  eloquent  vindication  of  the  tactual  sense  rests 
upon  the  contention  that  our  appreciation  of  the  forms 
of  things  is  ultimately  the  result  of  touching  and  han- 
dling them,  not  of  seeing  them.  Much  of  that  which  we 
now  see  is  simply  an  inference  or  deduction  from  some- 
thing that  we  originally  touched  with  the  hand.  Thus 
the  hand  is  entitled  to  a  large  share  of  the  credit  com- 
monly given  to  the  eye.  The  unaided  eye  reveals  only 
the  color  and  figure  of  objects;  the  impressions  of  sight 
are  mere  outlines,  mere  colored  planes  in  various  rela- 


266        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

tions  of  symmetry  and  proportion.  Our  knowledge  and 
enjoyment  of  form,  of  mass,  of  the  substance  and  fibre 
of  things  come  originally  from  data  furnished  by  touch.1 

In  this  plea  for  the  recognition  of  the  tactual  sense, 
Herder  emphasizes  the  primal  service  of  the  hand  as  a 
medium  of  those  highly  developed  formal  beauties  of 
which  sculpture  is  the  perfect  exponent.  He  urges  the 
novice  to  approach  the  works  of  Phidias  or  Lysippe,  to 
close  his  eyes  and  in  sacred  darkness  to  feel  with  his 
hands,  to  behold  the  first  lessons  of  beauty,  "die  ersten 
Ideen  schoner  Natur  and  der  Wohlform  .  .  .  ."  Herder 
does  not  allude  to  those  less  refined  tactual  qualities  that 
have  given  rise  to  no  independent  representative  form 
of  art.  He  does  not  explicitly  lend  his  support  to  the 
more  primitive  impressions  mediated  through  bodily  con- 
tact, to  the  impressions  of  texture  or  consistency,  of 
temperature  or  atmosphere,  of  vital  organic  sensation. 
And  it  is  chiefly  the  recognition  of  the  aesthetic  propriety 
of  these  qualities,  together  with  those  of  taste  and  smell, 
that  is  bitterly  opposed  by  purists. 

Those  who  deny  artistic  fitness  to  such  tactual  quali- 
ties would  be  somewhat  embarrassed  by  an  analysis  of 
Hebbel's  lyric  style.  When  one  observes  here  the  preva- 
lence of  reproduced  tactile  and  atmospheric  impressions, 
the  undaunted  elevation  of  touch  to  the  rank  of  a  supe- 
rior aesthetic  sense  seems  justified.  Conversely,  the  view 
that  would  relegate  the  tactual  sense  to  the  level  of  smell 
and  of  taste  becomes  difficult  to  understand.  Hegel's 
exclusion  of  touch  from  the  art-sphere,  as  a  sense  that 
requires  immediate  contact  with  matter,  may  have  a 
degree  of  reason.2  But  when  Vischer  says  in  mock 


1  Herder's    Kritische   Walder,    Viertes    Waldchen    II,    ch. 
1,  3,  4,  12.    Also  his  Plastik,  Erster  Abschnitt,  2,  3,  etc. 

2  Hegel,   Vorlesungen   uber   Aesthetik,   2   Auflage,   Berlin, 
1842,  I,  S.  50;  II,  S.  253. 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  267 

ecstasy:  "What  joy  ....  to  touch  the  back  of  a  bust 
of  Hercules  in  repose!"  his  satire  fails  through  mis- 
representation.3 For  it  is  conceivable  that  the  imagi- 
nation may  be  stimulated  to  reproductive  fervor  quite  as 
effectually  by  the  tactile  qualities  of  marble  as  by  the 
acoustic  properties  of  words.  Indeed,  some  reputable 
art  criticism  has  been  written  to  show  that  an  important 
feature  of  Florentine  painting  from  Giotto  to  Michel 
Angelo  consists  in  a  sensuous  treatment  in  which  the 
rendering  of  tactile  values  or  of  movement  or  of  both 
tends  to  transcend  nature  and  to  enhance  the  vital  feel- 
ings. 

The  tactual  sense  presents  peculiar  difficulties  to 
analysis  owing  to  the  extensive  sense  territory  to  which 
this  name  is  popularly  applied.  Our  partial  retention  of 
the  name  touch  makes  it  imperative  to  survey  briefly  the 
whole  sense  province  of  which  touch,  strictly  speaking, 
forms  only  a  small  section. 

If  we  deduct  from  the  total  of  sensory  experience  the 
impressions  delivered  by  the  various  special  sense 
organs — those  of  sight,  hearing,  taste,  smell — there  will 
be  left  a  considerable  volume  of  sensations  with  no 
clearly  defined  common  characteristics  and  no  convenient 
general  designation.  There  has  been  a  tendency  to  refer 
these  variegated  impressions  to  a  hypothetical  "Sense  of 
Feeling,"  a  general  representative  mode  of  bodily  im- 
pression, fundamental  to  sensation  as  a  whole.  To  sup- 
port this  hypothesis  the  contention  is  made  that  some- 
thing in  the  nature  of  a  Gefuhlssinn  is  the  earliest  de- 
veloped in  animal  organisms;  that  this  Gefuhlssinn  is  the 
only  sense  present  in  lower  animal  forms  and  that  out 
of  it  through  differentiation  the  finely  specialized  sense 

3Fr.   Vischer,   Kritische   Gange,    Hft.   6,    Stuttgart,    1873, 
S.  32. 


268       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

spheres  have  gradually  evolved.  Emphasis  is  laid, 
further,  upon  the  fact  that,  as  a  primary  sense,  touch 
continues  to  be  a  leading  susceptibility,  even  after  the 
remaining  senses  are  fully  fledged;  and  finally  the  point 
is  made  that  there  is  a  peculiarly  elemental  power  in  the 
impressions  of  contact,  of  warmth,  and  in  the  subtler 
influences  vaguely  termed  magnetic,  electric. 

Confessedly  the  diversified  nature  of  "feeling-sensa- 
tions" appears  to  indicate  a  primeval  period  of  func- 
tional absolutism.  Unlike  sights  or  sounds  or  tastes, 
"feelings"  require  an  equipment  of  nerves  distributed 
over  great  portions  of  the  body,  both  within  and  without ; 
and  whereas  impressions  received  by  eye  or  ear  or 
tongue  follow  short  nerve  tracts  from  receptor  to  brain 
center,  there  is  a  complicated  route  for  the  transmission 
of  "feelings,"  and  there  is  no  single  receptor  in  which 
they  originate.  What  we  have  here  is  not  a  sharply 
bounded  sense  sphere  whose  impressions  have  close 
generic  resemblance,  but  a  complex  mode  of  response 
adapted  to  multiform  and  often  genetically  unrelated 
stimuli. 

Although  "feeling-impressions"  are  as  a  class  referable 
to  no  simple  receptor,  nevertheless  the  nerves  of  the  skin 
are  preeminently  involved  in  their  genesis  and  reception. 
There  is  thus  justification  for  substituting  the  term 
"cutaneous  sense"  (Hautsinn)  in  place  of  the  ambigu- 
ous "sense  of  feeling."  It  is  through  dermal  or  cuta- 
neous impressions  that  we  are  made  aware  of  the  sur- 
face quality  of  objects  in  our  environment;  it  is  partly 
through  the  same  impressions  that  their  weight,  size  and 
shape  are  perceived  by  us.  A  second  group  of  dermal 
impressions  delivers  the  temperature  qualities  of  our 
surroundings,  still  another  reports  modifications  in  our 
consciousness  due  to  disturbances  in  certain  vital  organs. 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  269 

To  this  last  class  belongs  our  consciousness  of  the  bodily 
changes  great  and  small  that  figure  so  prominently  in  our 
impulsive  and  emotional  life. 

Thus  these  dermal  or  cutaneous  sensations  have  a  great 
variety  of  sources.  They  are  not  restricted  to  peripheral 
stimuli,  whereas  other  sensations  practically  are  so  re- 
stricted. An  important  group  of  "feelings"  originates 
internally  or  entoperipherally,  for  example  suffocation, 
nausea,  accelerated  circulation.  Impressions  of  warmth, 
of  pressure,  of  tension,  which  are  ordinarily  reckoned 
as  peripheral,  may  arise  from  conditions  within  the  vital 
organs  or  the  muscles  and  tendons  and  thus  occur  in 
entoperipheral  form.  When  it  is  recalled  that  only  the 
internal  or  entoperipheral  sensations  may  be  aroused 
purely  by  mental  processes — such  as  memory,  imagi- 
nation— without  any  actual  stimulating  object  in  the  en- 
vironment, the  aesthetic  importance  of  these  sensations 
as  expressional  media  becomes  apparent.  And  so  poetic 
art  has  honorable  use  for  such  impressions,  both  as  fea- 
tures in  the  external  environment  and  as  phases  of  those 
bodily  changes  that  attend  and  often  condition  our  most 
intense  mental  states. 

Obviously,  the  sensations  associated  with  the  so-called 
"sense  of  touch"  embrace  but  a  small  portion  of  the 
sensory  experiences  here  briefly  described.  Touch  is 
accordingly  generally  discarded  as  a  generic  name  for  a 
complete  impression  mode  analogous  with  sight  or  smell, 
and  is  confined  to  tactile  sensations  caused  by  mechanical 
impact. 

The  whole  complex  of  heterogeneous  impressions 
under  discussion  may  conveniently  be  divided  into  three 
main  classes  :4  The  first  class  embraces  the  dermal  or 


4Cf.  Angel,  Psychology,  4  ed.,  New  York,  1910,  pp.  Ill  ff. 


270       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

cutaneous  sensations  proper  and  includes  the  elementary 
sensation  qualities  of  cold,  warmth,  pain  and  pressure, 
together  with  these  same  elements  in  various  combina- 
tions, notably  modifications  of  pressure,  or  combinations 
of  pressure  and  one  or  more  of  the  other  rudimentary 
sensations,  resulting  in  such  (compound)  qualities  as 
hardness,  softness,  wetness,  dryness,  sharpness,  smooth- 
ness, roughness.  The  second  class  comprises  the  kinaes- 
thetic  or  motor  sensations  of  resistance,  strain,  etc.,  re- 
ported by  nerves  located  in  the  insertions  of  tendons, 
ligaments  and  muscles,  which  together  with  pressure 
sensations  in  the  hand  give  us  the  idea  of  weight. 
Finally  there  is  recognized  a  group  of  sensory  expe- 
riences, peculiar  to  the  respiratory  and  circulatory  pro- 
cesses, to  the  alimentary  tract,  etc.  These  are  the  so- 
called  organic  sensations,  such  as  suffocation,  nausea, 
thirst  and  hunger.  Though  allied  with  cutaneous  sensa- 
tions, they  are  nevertheless  in  the  manner  of  their  mani- 
festation sufficiently  distinct  to  warrant  isolation  as  ele- 
mentary modes  of  sensory  stimulation. 

To  adhere  closely  to  the  analysis  outlined  above  would 
carry  us  too  far  into  the  genetic  phases  of  sensory  expe- 
riences, into  their  constituent  elements  and  functional 
characteristics.  The  kinds  of  external  impressions  to 
which  Hebbel  responds,  the  degree  of  his  sensitivity  and 
of  his  skill  in  reproduction,  as  evinced  by  the  number, 
variety  and  effectiveness  of  the  linguistic  sense  symbols 
found  in  his  songs — these  are  the  points  of  especial  in- 
terest. Presumably  the  normal  human  sense  organs 
operate  everywhere  essentially  alike,  once  they  are  stimu- 
lated. The  range  of  objective  qualities  that  stimulate 
those  sense  organs,  however,  differs  widely  from  indi- 
vidual to  individual  and  from  mood  to  mood.  As  a 
manifestation  of  the  mind  and  art  of  a  great  poet  the 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  271 

degree  of  response  to  such  external  stimuli  becomes, 
therefore,  extremely  important  and  merits  careful  study. 

A  classification  better  adapted  to  our  object  proposes 
two  main  divisions  of  cutaneous  impression,  that  of  con- 
tact and  that  of  temperature.5  Contact  impressions  may 
be  supposed  of  two  kinds:  those  of  pressure,  yielding 
qualities  of  the  "heavy — light,"  "strong — weak"  type; 
further,  those  of  touch,  reporting  objects  as  "smooth," 
"rough,"  etc.  Allied  with  pressure  and  touch  impres- 
sions are  the  motor  or  kinaesthetic  sensations  and  the 
internal  organic  disturbances.  Such  a  classification  is 
sufficiently  minute  to  include  the  qualities  present  in  con- 
sciousness when  we  note  the  "feelings"  daily  experienced, 
without  attempting  to  resolve  them  into  their  ultimate 
elements.  Although  guided  by  the  foregoing  classifi- 
cations in  our  treatment  of  the  subject,  we  are  induced 
by  reasons  of  expediency  to  simplify  our  arrangement 
by  grouping  the  tactual  properties  roughly  under  three 
general  heads:  (1)  Temperature;  (2)  Substance  or 
Consistency;  (3)  Weight.  As  the  working  basis  of  what 
ensues,  this  threefold  grouping  and  the  nomenclature 
involved  require  brief  elucidation. 

(1)  Temperature.  The  tactual  sense  affords  a  group 
of  sensations  arising  from  the  presence  or  absence  of  heat 
in  matter.  These  sensations  record  qualities  designated 
by  such  linguistic  terms  as  hot,  cold,  warm,  cool,  tepid, 
lukewarm.  Temperature  impressions  are  really  recorded 
by  a  special  receptor  organ,  whose  function  has  all  the 
appearance  of  an  elaborate  sensory  apparatus.  Yet  we 
commonly  associate  many  temperature  qualities  with 
sensations  produced  in  the  hand,  because  it  is  here  that 
the  tactual  faculty  is  most  consciously  exercised.  As 


5  Cf.  Jodl,  Lehrbuch  der  Psychologic  I,  p.  318. 


272       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

present  in  the  atmosphere,  the  temperature  qualities  ob- 
viously affect  an  extended  sensitive  area;  various  parts 
of  the  nervous  organism  react  upon  the  external  stimuli, 
thus  enabling  the  detection  of  heat,  cold,  dampness, 
humidity,  sultriness,  drought.  Some  of  these  properties 
are  not  referable  to  temperature  exclusively;  the  sub- 
stance or  consistency  of  the  air  as  matter  enters  into 
their  composition.  Thirst  and  suffocation,  which  may 
perhaps  be  included  here,  are  composite  in  character  and 
difficult  to  analyze.  Yet  thirst  involves  sensations  asso- 
ciated with  heat,  drought;  while  suffocation  is  a  state 
arising  in  part  from  abnormal  atmospheric  conditions, 
though  always  attended  by  characteristic  vital  sensations. 

(2)  Substance  and  Consistency.     Our  perception  of 
the  substance  and  consistency  of  objects  is  ultimately 
acquired  through  tactual  sensations.     For  the  qualities 
that  these  tactual  sensations  record,  language  has  cer- 
tain definite  symbols :  e.g.  hard — soft ;  rough — smooth ; 
sharp — dull;  wet — dry.     As  a  result  of  the  consentient 
co-operation  of  the  eye  and  the  hand  we  are  able  to  detect 
these  qualities  through  the  sense  of  vision  as  well  as  of 
touch.     Yet  they  are  primarily  deliverances  of  tactual, 
not  visual,  experience,  and  when  an  object  looks  hard 
or  soft  or  rough  or  smooth  we  have  an  instance  of  ac- 
quired, not  of  original  impression. 

(3)  Weight.     The  experiences  through  which  we  be- 
come conscious  of  weight  are  similar  to  the  cutaneous 
ones.     It  is  to  be  noted,  however,  that  vision,  the  well- 
nigh  indispensable  helpmate  of  the  other  senses,  often 
receives    instantaneously    the    impressions    of    lightness, 
heaviness,  etc.,  and  thus  renders  in  part  unnecessary  the 
pressure    and    strain    sensations    through    which    alone 
weight  is  ultimately  appreciable. 

It  is  pertinent  to  ask:  What  relation  is  sustained  be- 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  273 

tween  these  different  material  properties  and  the  general 
complex  bodily  state  in  which  pleasure  or  pain  resides? 
Almost  any  of  the  properties  included  in  the  foregoing 
groups  excite  sensations  that  are  either  pleasurable  or 
painful.  Given  any  of  them  in  normal  proportions,  the 
resultant  sensation  is  likely  to  be  pleasant.  It  is  gen- 
erally the  excess  of  one  or  more  of  these  properties, 
either  in  the  outer  world  or  in  the  bodily  organs,  that  lies 
at  the  base  of  what  we  call  physical  pain.  In  addition 
to  the  sensations  that  the  individual  properties  of  matter 
afford,  we  must,  therefore,  recognize  a  general  status  of 
the  bodily  organism,  agreeable  or  disagreeable  according 
to  the  adjustment  of  that  organism  to  the  material  condi- 
tions by  which  it  is  surrounded. 

We  have  discussed  somewhat  at  length  the  nature  of 
the  tactual  sense  because  of  frequent  allusions  to  this 
sense  in  Hebbel's  poetry  and  because  of  the  varieties  of 
form  that  occur  there.  So  many  tactual  perceptions  are 
blended  with  impressions  delivered  through  other  media, 
that  an  extended  discussion  seemed  necessary  in  order 
to  make  acceptable  the  viewpoint,  the  enumeration  and 
the  analysis  that  follow. 

The  number  and  the  variety  of  allusions  to  tactual 
sensations  strengthen  the  evidence  already  afforded  by 
the  terms  of  color,  of  sound,  and  of  silence,  that  in  the 
poet  Hebbel  we  have  a  remarkably  alert  observer  pos- 
sessed of  an  extraordinarily  responsive  sensuous  organ- 
ism. There  are  approximately  320  tactual  allusions  in 
the  poems ;  of  these  209  come  under  the  head  of  tempera- 
ture,6 89  under  that  of  substance  or  consistency  and  22 


6  We  have  included  the  allusions  to  thirst  and  to  suffo- 
cation under  the  head  of  temperature,  although  in  some  in- 
stances of  thirst  the  associations  appear  to  be  in  part  those 
of  taste.  Cf.  for  example,  Wiistenbild  (VI,  328). 


274       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

refer  to  weight.    The  following  table  shows  roughly  the 
distribution  of  the  terms  in  question: 


I.  TEMPERATURE. 


TABLE. » 

II.  SUBSTANCE  OR 
CONSISTENCY. 


III.  WEIGHT. 


I 


kalt,  45 

kflhl,  39 

heiss,  31 

warm,  21 

Glut(giah-),  20 

brennen,         17 

frieren, 

ersticken, 

schwtil, 

feucht, 

dumpf, 

lau, 

tauig, 

eisig,  etc., 

feurig, 

dampfen, 


8  3 

6  1 

6  1 

4  — 

4  74 

4  or 

1  36.4% 
2 
1 
1 


sanft, 

lind, 

mild. 

weich, 

hart, 

dick, 

sacht, 

zart, 

scharf, 

raub, 

nass, 


schwer, 
leicht, 
voll, 
leer, 


15 

4  — 

1  7 

2  or 


61.8% 


209 


Very  many  of  the  linguistic  symbols  for  tactual  sensa- 
tions may  have  a  metaphorical  meaning.     It  is  one  of 


7  A  complete  table  of  tactual  allusions  ought  to  include 
such  passages  as  plainly  suggest  tactual  sensations  yet  do  not 
employ  any  of  the  formal  symbols  included  in  the  above 
groups.  (e.g.  "Gehst  du  auf  Moos  ja  doch":  Vorwarts  20 
(VI,  146).  ".  .  .  .  stachligt-keusch  die  Gerste  sticht,  wenn 
man  sie  noch  so  leise  streift" :  Die  Odaliske  7-8  (VI,  187). 
"Es  fallt  kein  Stein,  der  ihm  nicht  Wunden  schliige" :  Das 
abgeschiedene  Kind,  etc.,  47  (VI,  294).  "Da  aber  ritzt  es  sich 
an  einem  Dorn" :  Das  Hermelin  5  (VI,  264).  Our  exposi- 
tion fully  evaluates  such  passages,  but  owing  to  their  lack  of 
characteristic  tactual  symbols  they  could  not  readily  be  en- 
tered into  the  table.  Passages  that  portray  emotional  states 
through  media  of  organic  sensations  and  yet  do  not  employ 
any  of  the  more  formal  symbols  of  the  tactual  sense,  are  not 
considered.  (e.g.  "Wie  die  Brust  sich  dehne,  sie  fiihlt's 
zuletzt,"  etc.;  "Wenn  auch  dies  das  Herz  beschwert";  "was 
wir  sind,  das  fuhl'  ich  kraftig.")  These  should  properly  be 
considered  in  connection  with  the  physical  concomitants  of 
emotion. 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  275 

the  poetic  strains  inherent  in  the  genius  of  language  that 
so  many  sensuous  terms  admit  of  this  double  application. 
Thus  we  speak  of  soft  fabric  and  soft  slumber,  the  hot 
sun  and  hot  desire,  cold  winds  and  cold  disdain.  A 
glance  at  the  table  above  and  the  examples  cited  below 
will  show  that  Hebbel  appreciates  to  the  full  the  rich 
resources  of  his  mother  tongue  in  this  regard.8  Outside 
of  Glut  and  brennen  (which  strictly  speaking  are  always 
figurative  when  construed  as  feeling),9  the  highest  per- 
centage of  metaphorical  employment  occurs  in:  sanft 
with  83  per  cent;  hart,  75  per  cent;  zart,  75  per  cent; 
mild,  73  per  cent ;  schwer,  46  per  cent ;  kalt,  40  per  cent ; 
lind,  38  per  cent;  weich,  33  per  cent. 

This  metaphorical  application  of  tactual  terms  to  spir- 
itual qualities  must  detain  us  a  moment.  Undoubtedly 
there  are  distinct  bodily  experiences  at  the  basis  of  meta- 
phors such  as  "heavy-hearted,"  "hot-tempered."  Such 
phrases  do  not  merely  illustrate  poetry's  predilection  for. 
elementary  names  of  physical  commonplaces  to  denote 


8 ".  .  .  .  ein  frommer,  sanfter  Tod" :  Der  Quell  56 
(VII,  16).  "Ein  hartes  Schicksal" :  Die  Perle  10  (VII,  53). 
"Heisser  Schmerz" :  Einfalle  36  (VII,  54).  "Frostnachtleben" : 
An  Laura  24  (VII,  50).  "Und  treiben  viel  frostigen  Scherz" : 
Vinum  sacrum  14  (VII,  148).  "schwere  heil'ge  Stille" :  Kinder- 
loos  15  (VII,  162).  "Sich  kalt  beschau'n" :  Horaz  und  seine 
Regel  35  (VII,  200).  "Wie  von  gottlichem  Segen  schwer":  Die 
Weihe  der  Nacht  3  (VI,  285).  "Wie  schlief  er  so  schwer 
und  bang":  Der  Kranke  2  (VI,  262).  ".  .  .  .  da  ward  der  Bann 
gesprengt,  der  winterschwer  uns  Alle  eingezwangt" :  Prolog  zum 
26  Februar,  1862,  3-4  (VI,  418). 

9  "Wohl  brennet  des  Schmerzes  lodernde  Glut" :  Erin- 
nerung  9  (VII,  12).  ".  .  .  .  es  gliihte  in  der  Brust" :  Das 
Abendmahl  des  Herrn  20  (VII,  122).  "brennt  ein  rastlos  Sehnen 
wund  das  Herz":  Lied  15-6  (VII,  34).  ".  .  .  .  kiihlt  ihr  nicht, 
was  brennt  und  gluht  in  tiefster  Seele  mein !" :  Der  Schafer  15- 
6  (VII,  113).  ".  .  .  .  in  hohem  Zorn  entbrennend" :  Rauber  und 
Henker  69  (VII,  181).  "die  inn're  Glut,  von  Gott  uns  einge- 
haucht" :  Wir  Menschen  sind  gefror'ne  Gott-Gedanken  2  (VII, 
187). 


276        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

more  complex  spiritual  states.  Analogously,  positive 
sensuous  stimulations  may  lie  at  the  basis  of  epithets  for 
mental  qualities  finer  and  more  elusive  than  sorrow  and 
anger.  The  German  terms  weich,  lind,  sanft,  are  often 
so  applied  to  gentle  traits  of  manner  or  temperament; 
and  indeed  such  traits,  as  well  as  the  designation  for 
them,  may  conceivably  awaken  nervous  responses  nearly 
identical  with  those  that  underlie  pleasant  cutaneous 
sensations.  As  quietude  is  both  a  physical  and  a  psychical 
phenomenon,  so  the  qualities  of  tenderness  and  fineness 
of  nature,  or  their  opposites,  draw  somewhat  upon  mate- 
rial sources  of  impression.  Poetry  constantly  presents  to 
us  refined  or  coarse-fibred  creatures,  softness  and  mild- 
ness, or  the  reverse,  in  bearing,  speech  or  glance.  In  the 
real  world,  as  in  the  world  of  fancy,  natures  are  hurt  to 
the  quick  by  one  contact,  caressed  by  another;  they  are 
ruffled  or  smoothed,  they  are  mentally  allayed  as  through 
some  healing  balm,  or  they  are  chafed  and  bruised,  they 
feel  an  agreeable  emotional  tingle  or  a  sharp,  unpleasant 
smart.  And  the  terms  that  name  these  mental  states 
quicken  in  us  the  consciousness  of  impressions  akin  to 
pleasant  or  unpleasant  dermal  properties. 

Hebbel  often  employs  sanft,  or  rauh,  or  hart  with  ref- 
erence to  such  psychical  qualities.  For  him  such  terms 
doubtless  represented  more  than  perfunctory  transfer- 
ence of  concrete  epithets  to  psychic  facts.  Considering 
his  marked  sensitivity,  the  conclusion  appears  safe  that 
expressions  like  lind,  weich,  palpably  reproduced  in  his 
consciousness  the  corporeal  associations  that  blend  with 
the  mental  qualities  so  named.10  His  allusions  to  sleep 


iO"Sanfte  Dulderin":  Laura  50  (VII,  19).  "Engelskind- 
lein,  sanft  und  mild":  Rosa  149  (VII,  28).  "Unschuld  nahrt  sie 
ja  sanft":  Liebe  5  (VII,  36).  "Sie  war  so  himmlisch  milde": 
Den  Glaubensstreitern  11  (VII,  65).  "Keiner  Thrane  milden 
Trost":  Das  Wiedersehen  75  (VII,  109).  "Das  schmeichelt 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  277 

are  in  point  here.  Sanft,  lind,  mild,  are  the  epithets 
commonly  employed  in  this  connection,  seemingly  in  ref- 
erence to  Sleep  personified  as  some  lightsome,  gentle 
spirit;  yet  the  suggestion  of  gentleness  comes  by  way  of 
those  movements  produced  when  there  is  presented  to 
the  mind  the  idea  of  agreeable  touch  qualities.11 

Another  group  of  passages  in  the  lyrics  seems  to  illus- 
trate the  merging  of  tactual  sensations  with  those  of  light 
and  color,  of  sound,  or  of  odor  and  taste.  Such  merging 
would  seem  inevitable  in  view  of  Hebbel's  fondness  for 
sensuous  combinations.  The  composite  nature  of  certain 
modes  of  sensory  stimuli  seems  especially  adapted  to 
blendings  and  thus  favors  the  poet's  natural  tendency.12 
These  are  sometimes  due  to  the  combination  of  symbols 
referring  to  two  or  more  distinct  classes  of  sensations 
(e.g.  those  of  light  and  touch;13  or  of  sound  and 


alien  Sinnen  lind":  Auf  eine  Verlassene  4  (VII,  160).  ".  .  .  .  von 
sanftem  Reiz  umstralt" :  Drei  Schwestern  1  (VI,  405).  "Bis  ich 
in  sanftem  Weh  verging":  Ein  f nines  Liebesleben  155  (VI,  199). 
"Doch  zweifl'  ich,  ob  sie  milde  blicken  konnen,  und  mehr  noch, 
ob  sie  mir  ihr  Mildes  gonnen" :  Stanzen  auf  ein  Sicilianisches 
Schwesterpaar  55-6  (VI,  215).  "Nicht  in  Augen,  sanft  geho- 
ben,"  etc.:  Das  Opfer  des  Friihlings  3  (VI,  217).  "Und  der 
Engel  des  Todes  umfasste  mild  der  trostlosen  Unschuld  trau- 
erndes  Bild" :  Das  Kind  13-4  (VII,  66).  "Und  all  dies  linde 
Kosen":  Der  Kranke  9  (VI,  262). 

11 ".  .  .  .  schwebte  nieder  lind  und  mild,  nahte  ihr  mit 
Zephyrleichtem  Schritte":  Der  Traumgott  10-1  (VII,  96). 
"Und  der  Schlaf,  der  ewig  milde,  schliesst  ihm  bald  die  Augen 
dicht":  Waldbilder  93-4  (VI,  221).  "Schlaf,  da  nahst  du  dich 
leis,"  etc.:  Nachtlied  9  (VI,  143).  "Und  meine  Augen  schlossen 
sich,  vom  Schlummer  leicht  begriisst,"  etc. :  Ein  f riihes  Liebes- 
leben 157-160  (VI,  199). 

12  In  "Der  Aesth.  Genuss,"  Chap.  II,  Gross  classifies  the 
synthetic   products   of   the   spiritual    reproductive    faculty.     He 
names   the  first   class   "Verwachsungen,"    and   mentions   among 
them  "tone-blendings,"  composites  from  different  sense  spheres 
accepted  by  the  naive  consciousness  as  qualitatively  "einheitlich." 

13  Light  and  Touch.    "Sanft  verschmolzen  mit  der  reinsten 
Giite  ....":    Der  Traumgott   7    (VII,  96).     "Wie   scheint   die 
Sonne  lind  und  hell":  Auf  dem  Kirchhof  1    (VII,  146).     "Du 


278       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

touch;14  odor  and  touch).16  Often  again  there  is  no  such 
combination,  the  perceptions  merely  appear  to  hover 
dimly  between  two  sensuous  spheres  without  conveying 
distinct  and  characteristic  impressions  of  either  one: 
"Wie  einen  frischen  Blutenstrauss,  ....  so  duftig  und 
so  thauig  blank":  Genesungsgejuhl,  20-2  (VI,  172). 

The  terms  Glut  and  brennen  were  discussed  chiefly  in 
the  chapter  on  Light  and  Color,  as  applying  in  most  cases 


spielst,  ein  sanf  tes  Abendroth,  in  meine  Brust  hinein" :  Ein  f  riihes 
Liebesleben  185  (VI,  199).  ".  .  .  .  sanfte  Bilder;  immer  inniger 
und  milder":  Spatziergang  am  Herbstabend  5-6  (VI,  231). 
"Dank*  ich  so  mancher  Stelle  voll  kuhler  Waldesnacht" :  Som- 
merreise  19-20  (VI,  276).  "Aus  dem  goldnen  Morgen-Qualm," 
etc.:  Meisengluck  1  (VI,  284).  "Bliite,  die  in  leuchtend-klarer 
Schonheit  nie  der  Wind  gestreift" :  Thorwaldsens  Ganymed,  etc., 
3-4  (VI,  281).  "Erstes  Licht  aus  Ostens  Thor,  quoll,  jungfrau- 
lich  zart,  hervor" :  Emil  Rousseau  3-4  (VII,  163). 

14  Sound  and  Touch.    "Komm !  Komm !  Spielt  es  lind  und 
weich  ihm  um  das  Ohr" :  Ein  nachtliches  Echo  23-4   (VI,  150). 
"Setzt  auf  eine  seiner  Hande  sich  die  kleinste   Miicke  sacht" : 
Unterm    Baum     15-6     (VI,    272).    ".  .  .  .  sanft    platschert    ein 
Springbrunn  im  Hof":  La  chiesa  sptteranea,  etc.,  10  (VI,  332). 
".  .  .  .  du  setztest  dich  leicht  auf  eine  Narbe" :  Auf  eine  Biene, 
etc.,  11  (VI,  333).    "die  sanfte  Walking  des  Lebens":  Platen  5 
(VI,  354).     ".  .  .  .  fiirs  menschliche  Ohr  sanft  zur  Musik  sich 
gedampft":  Villa  reale,  etc.,  8  (VI,  336).    "Und  Weste  umsau- 
seln  sie  lau  und  klar":  Das  Kind  25   (VII,  66).     "Schalkhaft 
weckt'  er  (i.e.  Zephyr)  mich  dann,  leise,  mit  sanf  tern  Kuss":  Ein 
Mittag  11  (VII,  101). 

15  Odor  and  Touch.     ".  .  .  .  liess  die  Gaste  ersticken  mit 
Veilchen":  Italiens  erster  Gruss  1  (VI,  331).    "Mit  Wonne  trank 
ich    die    durchgltihte    Luft    und    eines    Veilchenstrausses    lauen 
Duft":   Spatziergang  in   Paris  3-4   (VI,  241).    "umstromt  mich 
....  der  gluhendste  Duft":  Proteus  28  (VI,  253).    "Als  hin  zu 
der  schwiilen  Statte  der  erste  Lenzhauch  drang" :  Der  Kranke 
3-4  (VI,  262).    "verstromt  ....  den  flammenheissen  Duft":  Vol- 
lendung  7-8  (VI,  311).    Cf.  Ein  friihes  Liebesleben  149-156  (VI, 
199) ;  Emil  Rousseau  22-3  (VII,  163). 

Taste  in  combination  with  touch  occurs  chiefly  in  a  few 
metaphors  containing  references  to  the  sensation  of  thirst : 
".  .  .  .  Spritzend  senkt  der  Thau  sich  auf  das  durst'ge  Land" : 
Ein  nachtliches  Echo  3-4  (VI,  150).  "die  Sonne  hat  ihn  fast 
verbrannt,  der  Regen  trankt  den  durst'gen  nie":  Der  Baum  in 
der  Wiiste  3-4  (VI,  238).  "Wenn  ich  ....  den  Hauch  ge- 
trunken  habe" :  Morgen  und  Abend  7-8  (VI,  264). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  279 

to  the  impression  of  light  more  prominently  than  that  of 
touch.  Perhaps  it  is  nearer  the  truth  to  say  that  in  the 
majority  of  passages  where  Glut  and  brennen  occur  the 
impression  is  neither  distinctly  and  exclusively  that  of 
light  nor  yet  of  heat,  but  rather  a  sensuous  blend  in  which 
both  elements  are  present.  The  beauty  of  such  blends 
is  enhanced  when  the  boundary  between  material  and 
spiritual  becomes  attenuated,  the  mind  wavering  back 
and  forth  between  the  sensuous  and  the  figurative  in 
delightful  indecision  of  impression.  In  the  poems  Vol- 
lendung  (VI,  311),  and  Ein  Bild  (VI,  326),  the  trans- 
fusion and  interblending  of  sense  impressions  among  one 
another  and  the  subtle  merging  of  imagery  is  perfect. 
One  shrinks  from  dissection  here,  as  one  shrinks  from 
disengaging  the  strands  of  a  dream,  or  the  myriad  stimuli 
that  vibrate  on  a  perfect  summer  day: 

"  Von  einer  Wunderblume  lasst  mich  traumen ! 

Der  Tag  verschwendet  seine  reichsten  Stralen, 
In  aller  Farben  Glut  sie  auszumalen; 
Die  Nacht  versucht,  mit  Perlen  sie  zu  saumen. 

Bald  wird  das  Leben  in  ihr  uberschaumen, 
Und  brennend,  die  Gestirne  zu  bezahlen, 
Verstromt  sie  aus  der  Kelche  Opferschaalen 

Den  flammenheiszen  Duft  nach  alien  Raumen. 

Doch,  dass  einmal  das  Schonste  sich  vollende, 
Verschliesst  der  Himmel  seine  durst'gen  Lippen 
Vor  ihrem  Opfer,  und  es  senkt  sich  wieder. 

Wie  sie  den  Duft  in  jede  Feme  sende, 

Nicht  Mond,  noch  Sonne,  nicht  ein  Stern  darf  nippen, 

Er  wird  zu  Thau  und  sinkt  auf  sie  hernieder." 

Vollendung  (VI,  311) 
For  Ein  Bild,  see  below,  p.  290. 


280       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

We  pass  now  to  a  closer  inspection  of  the  part  played 
by  the  tactual  sensations  in  Hebbel's  poetic  concepts. 
The  passages  in  which  these  sensations  occur  are  either 
exclusively  or  preponderantly  descriptive,  so  that  it  is  no 
longer  necessary  to  insist  here  upon  the  distinction  be- 
tween description  and  narration,  a  distinction  which  in 
the  earlier  discussions  seemed  expedient.  In  the  main 
we  adhere  to  the  divisions  adopted  in  the  treatment  of 
colors  and  of  sounds. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  PHYSICAL  NATURE 

(1)  Atmosphere.  Temperature  is  a  most  important 
medium  between  the  physical  world  and  the  human  or- 
ganism. Through  this  channel  come  a  swarm  of  sensa- 
tions and  perceptions,  the  bodily  organs  and  indirectly 
the  mental  faculties  responding  with  instant  alacrity  to 
atmospheric  stimuli.  We  therefore  naturally  look  for 
frequent  reference  to  atmospheric  conditions  in  the  works 
of  a  poet  endowed  with  keen  sense  organs,  in  whose 
poetic  creed  man  and  nature  sustain  an  intimate  relation- 
ship. Hebbel  was  obviously  extremely  sensitive  to  at- 
mosphere. Weather  descriptions  appear  in  the  diaries  so 
early  and  so  continuously  as  to  minimize  the  likelihood 
of  borrowed  mannerism.16  The  animated  allusions  in 
this  connection  indicate  that  weather  conditions  greatly 
affected  the  poet's  spiritual  faculties.  The  entry  on 
October  16,  1839,  is  a  fair  illustration:17  "Es  ist  ein 
triiber,  wasserigt-nebliger  Octobermorgen,  Alles,  was  ich 

16  Werner  suggests  that  the  persistent  weather  comments 
beginning  with  Tgb.  I,  1324,  were  due  to  Rahel's  example.  See 
Tgb.  I,  1324,  footnote. 

"Tgb.  I,  1701.  Cf.  also  Tgb.  I,  1319:  "Ein  wahres 
Selbstmordwetter ;  trister  feiner  Regen,  grauer,  verschlossener 
Himmel" ;  and  as  a  contrast  to  the  foregoing  see  Tgb.  II,  2543 : 
"Schone  Tage!  Sonnenschein !  Hitze!  Abendliche  Milde!  Eine 
voile  Seele!" 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  281 

beginne,  widert  mich  an,  die  Menschen  auf  der  Strasse 
sehen  alle  grau,  verdriesslich  und  ernsthaft  aus,  Kinder 
schreien  und  aus  der  Feme  tont  eine  heisere  Drehorgel 
zu  mir  heriiber."  Features  of  elemental  environment, 
to  which  Hebbel  was  peculiarly  susceptible — nighttime, 
starry  sky,  bright  sunshine — are  affected  by  certain 
phases  of  atmosphere  in  a  way  powerfully  to  stimulate 
his  fancy:  "Heute  Abend  ging  ich  gegen  7  Uhr  in  der 
grimmigen  Kalte  ....  spatzieren.  Es  war  heller, 
scharfer  Mondschein,  der  mich,  wie  es  mir  vorkam,  die 
Kalte  doppelt  empfinden  Hess;  reiner  blauer  Himmel 
voll  (vor  Frost,  denkt  man  unwillkurlich)  zitternder 
Sterne."18  Other  passages  in  the  diaries  show  how  read- 
ily sensibility  and  imagination  respond  to  the  change 
from  frost  and  chilly  wind  to  agreeable  warmth,  from 
cloud  and  rain  to  clear  sky  and  cheering  sunlight.19  The 
relief  of  cool,  light  rainfall  after  oppressive  heat  is  grate- 
fully recorded.20  A  change  of  this  kind  in  the  tempera- 
ture involved  for  his  organism  suggestive  transitions 
and  contrasts,  and  the  poetic  bearing  of  such  transitions 
and  contrasts  appears  from  another  passage,  where  fancy 
augments  the  tortures  of  prolonged  heat  by  conjuring  up 
a  marble  palace  with  great,  cool  halls  and  plashing 
fountains.21  Naturally,  then,  the  poet  calls  his  sensa- 
tions and  feelings  Erlebtes  Gedicht,  when,  seated  in  his 
hot  room  one  still  summer  night,  the  cool  odors  from  the 
rain-freshened  garden  stream  through  the  opened  win- 
dow.22 

In  his  lyrics  Hebbel  reveals  the  same  sensitiveness  to 


18  Tgb.  I,  1349.    Cf.  "Im  Winter  sieht  man  seinen  Odem," 
Tgb.  IV,  5869. 

19  Tgb.  I,  1342;  Tgb.  11,2143. 

20  Tgb.  II,  3119;  3185. 

21  Tgb.  II,  3164;  see  also  Tgb.  II,  2582. 

22  Tgb.  I,  1262. 


282        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

heat  and  cold.  He  alludes  frequently  to  humidity  or  the 
coolness  of  the  scene  of  action.  Alert  tactual  sensibility 
would  be  the  only  inference  warrantable  from  some  of 
these  atmospheric  contrasts ;  an  organism  endowed  with 
exceptional  readiness  of  response,  and  a  commensurate 
power  of  vivid  verbal  reproduction.  Sometimes  a  con- 
trast of  one  condition  with  another  results  in  a  passage 
of  great  suggestive  power.  The  best  of  these  passages 
evince  something  higher  than  mere  sensitive  adjustment 
to  external  excitants.  They  mark  a  phase  of  the  imagi- 
native process  analogous  with  the  reasonings  and  gen- 
eralizings  of  intellection.  A  stage  still  further  removed 
from  barometric  registration  is  reached  when  through 
imagination  the  contrasted  elements  assume  the  character 
of  allied  or  hostile  living  forces,  and  inanimate  activities 
blend  with  great  cosmic  thrills  and  impulses: 

"  Doch,  ihn  selber  (i.e.  den  Friihling)  kiihlend,  stehlen 
Sie  (i.e.  die  Morgenwinde)  so  viel  der  holden  Glut, 
Als,  die  Blumen,  die  noch  fehlen, 
Zu  erwecken,  nothig  thut." 

Das  Opfer  des  Fruhlings,  29-32  (VI,  217) 
Cf.  also  Vorfriihling  (VI,  228) 

There  is  little  cant  in  these  atmospheric  contrasts.  Heb- 
bel  is  sparing  of  hackneyed  conventions,  which  not  the 
greatest  singers  of  love  and  nature — not  Goethe  and 
Heine  even — altogether  and  always  can  avoid.  The  con- 
trasts— even  those  unenlivened  by  fancy — are  generally 
the  genuine  poetic  flowering  of  genuinely  assimilated 
nurture.  They  have  the  nerve-fibre  of  living  tissue.23 

28     "  Und  auch  draussen  16s' t  sich  jetzt  die  Schwiile, 
Die  zerrissnen  Wolken,  Regen  schwanger, 
Schiitten  ihn  herab  auf  Hain  und  Anger, 
Und  hinein  zur  Hiitte  dringt  die  Kiihle." 

Liebessauber,  105-8  (VI,  156) 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  283 

The  number  and  variety  of  atmospheric  states  re- 
corded, the  skill  displayed  in  the  deft  suggestion  of 
atmospheric  features,  the  telling  effects  secured  by  the 
employment  of  wind  and  weather  as  excitant  or  accom- 
paniment of  particular  moods,  the  recurrence  of  atmos- 
phere in  metaphor,  arising  from  the  subtle  associations 
between  respiration  on  the  one  hand  and  emotional  states 
of  ecstasy  or  depression  on  the  other24 — these  attest  a 
marked  responsiveness,  a  rare  acuteness  of  the  tactile 
sensibilities  coupled  with  a  fine  appreciation  of  their 
poetic  propriety. 


"  Droben  jene  Wetterwolke, 

.  .  .  .  ist  mir  sehr  willkommen, 
Denn  die  Mittagssonne  sticht. 
All  die  sengend-heissen  Stralen, 
Die  uns  drohen,  loscht  sie  aus,"  etc. 

Lied,  5-10  (VI,  151) 

".  .  .  .  wenn  ....  kiihl  die  Nebelhauche  wallen,  ....  in  den 
warmen  Wind  sich  mischend" :  Herbstgefiihl  9-12  (VI,  230). 
"Wie  ein  sauselnder  Westwind  uns  am  Mittag  die  Wange  kiih.lt" : 
Die  Nacht  19-20  (VII,  26).  "Als  bin  zu  der  schwulen  Statte  der 
erste  Lenzhauch  drang,"  etc.:  Der  Kranke  3-8  (VI,  262).  "Sind 
rings  die  Meere  verdtinstet,  welche  mit  linderndem  Hauch  sonst 
doch  die  Glut  wohl  gekiihlt  ?" :  Ein  Scirocco-Tag  in  Rom  1-2 
(VI,  334). 

2*"trinkt  des  Himmels  Lufte":  Mann  und  Weib  11  (VI, 
321).  ".  .  .  .  ein  Hauch,  der,  leise  schwellend,  den  Busen  hebt 
....  eh'  er  ein  Lied  noch  beseelt" :  Dedication  under  "Epi- 
gramme  und  Verwandtes,"  3-4  (VI,  326). 

"  Goss  die  (i.e.  die  Sonne)  auf  ihn  hernieder 
Der  Stralen  heisse  Glut, 
So  kiihlte  ihn  der  Lotos 
Durch  seiner  Dufte  Flut." 

Horn  und  Flote,  13-6  (VI,  261) 

"  Da  schoss  die  Sonne  ihre  Flammen-Pfeile. 
Die  Rosen  loschten  sie  im  Thau,  dem  kiihlen,"  etc. 

Ein  Bild,  11-2  (VI,  326) 
"  Und  dankt  den  Sonnenstralen, 
Vom  kuhlen  Laub  gedeckt,"  etc. 

Ein  Wald,  13-4  (VI,  397) 


284       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

And  so  gentle  warmth,  mild  and  refreshing  coolness, 
as  well  as  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  enter  as  natural 
setting  into  the  play  of  passion  depicted  in  the  lyrics. 
This  is  but  another  illustration  of  the  vital,  human  prin- 
ciple in  Hebbel's  lyric  poetry,  which  rarely  permits  the 
more  commonplace  phases  of  the  all-pervading  life  and 
stir  of  nature  to  fade  from  consciousness.  With  the 
birds  and  the  flowers  we  revel  in  dewy  coolness,  we  in- 
hale the  soft  breath  of  zephyrs.25  Chill  mists  and  ice- 
cold  winds  numb  and  pierce  us.26  Heat  and  humidity 
with  the  discomfort  that  they  entail,  summer  with  its 
scorching  sunbeams,  its  oppressive  noons  and  sultry 
nights — all  these  exert  their  depressing  influence.27  The 


25  "Schlummernd  im  schwellenden  Grim  liegst  du,  wo 
Liifte  dich  fachelnl":  Einziges  Geschiedensein  1-2  (VI,  212). 
"All  dies  linde  Kosen,  das  Bluten  gelockt  aus  dem  Baum" :  Der 
Kranke  9-10  (VI,  262).  "Ihm  kiisst  ein  kiihler  Hauch  die  heissen 
Wangen":  Sonnet  9  (VII,  174).  "Die  Liifte  spielten  lau.  Da 
sauselt's  ihm  so  lind  und  suss,"  etc. :  Der  Schafer  4-8  (VII, 
113).  Cf.  Tgb.  I,  877;  Das  Gefiihl  nachmittags  im  Grase  ein- 
zuschlafen,  etc. 

26 ".  .  .  .  wenn  ....  kiihl  die  Nebelhauche  wallen,"  etc. : 
Herbstgefiihl  9-10  (VI,  230).  "Da  wird  es  so  triibe,  da  wird  es 
so  kalt":  Proteus  8  (VI,  253).  ".  .  .  .  kalt  pfiff  der  Wind": 
Vater  und  Sohn  29  (VI,  427).  "Der  Wind  weht  schaurig  und 
kalt":  Rosa  8  (VII,  28).  "Der  Wind  pfiff  eisig  und  kalt":  Rosa 
132.  "Es  ist  so  kalt":  Kindesmorderin  19  (VII,  68).  ".  .  .  .  pfeift 
aus  Norden  der  Wind  so  kalt  und  barsch" :  Die  Schlacht  bei 
Hemmingstedt  26  (VII,  90).  "der  kalte  Wind":  Winterland- 
schaft  4  (VII,  165). 

27  "In  heissen  Sommertagen" :  Knabentod  3  (VI,  147). 
"all  die  sengend-heissen  Stralen" :  Lied  9  (VI,  151).  "Schwiil 
wird  diese  Nacht":  Liebeszauber  1  (VI,  156).  "Der  warme 
Sommer  scheidet  mit  seinem  letzten  Stral" :  Ein  Dithmarsischer 
Bauer  1-2  (VI,  160).  ".  .  .  .  dick  und  rauchend  steigen  Wolken 
heissen  Dufts  empor" :  Opfer  des  Frtihlings  53-4  (VI,  217). 
"Die  Sonne  hat  ihn  fast  verbrannt,  der  Regen  trankt  den 
durst'gen  nie":  Der  Baum  in  der  Wuste  3-4  (VI,  238).  ".  .  .  .  die 
Gluten,  die  euch  weckten,  drohen  jetzt,  euch  zu  ersticken" :  Die 
Rosen  im  Siiden  4-5  (VI,  277).  ".  .  .  .  die  Briider  ....  die 
erstickt  der  Sonnenbrand" :  Der  Tod  kennt  den  Weg  19-20 
(VI,  394).  "Die  Nacht  lag  dumpf  und  briitend" :  Stillstes  Leben 
4  (VII,  140).  Cf.  also  Ein  Wald  12  (VI,  397);  Der  Zauberer 
31  (VII,  51),  and  elsewhere. 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  285 

heavy,  suffocating  atmosphere  that  precedes  a  shower 
pervades  the  early  part  of  Liebeszauber: 

"  Schwiil  wird  diese  Nacht  .... 

Alles  Leben  ist  in  sich  verschlossen, 
Kaum  nur,  dass  ich  miihsam  Athem  hole ; 
Selbst  im  Beete  dort  die  Nachtviole 
Hat  den  siissen  Duft  noch  nicht  ergossen." 

Liebeszauber,  1;  5-8  (VI,  156) 

This  life-smothering  sultriness  is  represented  as  con- 
tinuing until  the  climax  of  the  little  love-drama  is 
reached.  Then,  as  though  Nature  had  delayed  relief 
in  order  to  augment  the  happy  resolution,  the  clouds 
unburden  their  rain  upon  field  and  meadow,  and  into 
the  stifling  heat  of  the  hovel  rush  currents  of  rain- 
cooled  air : 

"  Und  auch  draussen  los't  sich  jetzt  die  Schwiile, 
Die  zerrissnen  Wolken,  Regen  schwanger, 
Schiitten  ihn  herab  auf  Hain  und  Anger, 
Und  hinein  zur  Hiitte  dringt  die  Kuhle." 

Liebeszauber,  105-8  (VI,  156) 

As  a  rule  locality  and  climate  are  not  specifically  indi- 
cated in  these  allusions  to  temperature.  Yet  occasionally 
atmospheric  phenomena  characteristic  of  a  definite  place 
or  season  afford  the  external  setting  and  the  germinal 
impulse.  "Autumn" — so  runs  a  passage  in  his  diary — 
"firmly  establishes  the  boundary  between  Inner  and 
Outer,  it  separates  Mortal  from  Nature  and  restores  to 
him  the  consciousness  of  Self."28  In  the  poem  Herbst- 
gefuhl,  written  three  years  earlier,  luminous  and  atmos- 
pheric phenomena  of  spring  are  contrasted  with  those 

28  Tgb.  I,  1785,  October  28,  1839. 


286        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

of  autumn,  and  the  physical  conditions  peculiar  to  the 
season  act  in  each  case  as  setting  for  the  emotions 
aroused.  To  the  falling  red  leaves,  more  especially  to 
the  cold  mists  and  commingled  warm  winds,  is  ascribed 
a  strange  potency  to  awaken  autumnal  moods  typical  of 
Hebbel.29  That  features  of  local  and  seasonal  environ- 
ment could  on  occasion  provoke  the  poet  to  characteristic 
production  is  further  confirmed  by  the  poem  Bin 
Scirocco-Tag  in  Rom.  With  effective  objectivity  a  vivid 
scene  of  torrid  stupor  is  here  spread  before  us,  out  of 
which  float  like  stifling  fumes  the  feelings  and  fancies 
to  which  such  experience  naturally  gives  rise: 

"  Steht  in  Flammen  die  Welt  ?     Sind  rings  die  Meere 

verdiinstet, 
Welche  mit  linderndem  Hauch  sonst  doch  die  Glut 

wohl  gekuhlt? 
Sinken  sie  alle  in  Asche  zusammen,  die  Stadte  der 

Menschen  ? 
Walzt  den  gliihenden  Qualm  langsam  heriiber  der 

Wind? 
Oder   ist's   der   Scirocco,   der  zwar   die   Orange  uns 

zeitigt 
Und  die  Traube  uns  kocht,  aber  uns  selbst  auch 

erstickt, 
So  dass  Jeglicher  zweifelt,  er  werde  die  Friichte  noch 

kosten. 
Die  er  uns  siisst,  und  des  Weins,  den  er  uns  wurzt, 

sich  erfreu'n? 

Sei  es,  was  es  auch  sei,  das  blosse  Athmen  wird  Arbeit, 
Und  das  Leben  begrabt  scheu  sich  im  dumpfesten 

Schlaf, 
Kaum    noch    rettet    es    sich    den    leisen    Wunsch,   zu 

erwachen, 

Denn  es  fiihlt  sich  dem  Tod,  fiihlt  sich  dem  Nichts 
schon  zu  nah' !" 

Ein  Scirocco-Tag  in  Rom.  (VI,  334) 

2»  Herbstgef  iihl  (VI,  230). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  287 

(2)  Scenery.  We  instinctively  associate  particular 
tactual  sensations  with  certain  aspects  of  scenery  of 
which  atmosphere  is  a  characteristic  and  essential  fea- 
ture. So  the  poet  often  leads  us  in  fancy  to  cool,  damp 
grottoes,30  to  delicious  forest  shades,31  or  refreshing 
springs.32  Obviously  such  cool  retreats  awaken  at  times 
unpleasant  feelings,  notably  when  thoughts  of  death 
come  into  play.  For  death  is  a  frequent  element  in  the 
economy  of  Hebbel's  verse,  and  while  allusions  to  this 
theme  are  not  always  characterized  by  aversion,  they  are 
uniformly  attended  by  images  of  the  grave  and  the  cold, 
drear  ground.33  Other  passages  again  evince  an  unmis- 


30  "In   die  kiihle  Felsengrotte  tritt  der   junge  Jager   ein. 
Heiss  ist's  draussen,  um  zu  schlummern,  legt  er  still  sich  auf's 
Gestein":  Waldbilder  88   (VI,  221).     ".  .  .  .  wenn  ich  entsteige 
der  thauigen  Gruft":  Proteus  27   (VI,  253).     "O,  sauselt  lind', 
ihr  Weste,  ob  dieser  kiihlen  Gruft":  Laura  9-10  (VII,  19).    "Sie 
steigen   schwer  und   langsam  zur   dumpfen  Gruft  hinab" :   Der 
alten  Cotter  Abendmahl  26   (VII,  132).     "Wenn  der  Tag  sich 
senkt  in  die  kuhlige  Gruft":  Lied  der  Geister  1  (VII,  63).    "Er 
sucht  umsonst  im  feuchten  Gestein  ein  Lager" :  Das  Licht  will 
sich  verstecken  17-8  (VII,  173). 

31  "Rings  schon  der  kiihle  Wald":  Vorwarts  16  (VI,  146). 
"dank'  ich  so  mancher  Stelle  voll  kiihler  Waldesnacht" :  Som- 
merreise    19-20    (VI,    276).      "Im    kiihlen    Schatten    dicht    ver- 

schlung'ner  Aeste" :  An  eine  Romerin  11   (VI,  308).     " in 

den  dicken  Wald ;  hier  ist  es  kiihl  zu  gehen" :  Wohin  so  flink,  etc., 
5-6    (VI,   441).     "Vom   kiihlen   Laub   gedeckt" :    Ein   Wald    14 
(VI,  397).     ".  .  .  .  dies  Blatt,  dies  kalt  benetzte" :  Spatziergang 
am   Herbstabend   23    (VI,   231).    ".  .  .  .  kiihlte   ihn    der    Lotos 
durch  seiner  Diifte  Flut":  Horn  und  Flote  15-6  (VI,  261). 

32"zum  kiihlen  Quell":  Der  Quell  26  (VII,  16).  "eine 
kiihle  Quelle":  Die  drei  grossen  Tage  24  (VII,  62). 

33  ".  .  .  .  in  dein  kiihl  Gemach  hernieder" :  An  einen  Ver- 
kannten  15  (VII,  40).  "moge  so  das  Grab  sich  kiihlig  beugen" : 
An  Laura  27  (VII,  50).  ".  .  .  .  schlaft  .  .  .  .  im  Grabe  sanft 
und  kiihl":  Der  Zauberer  32  (VII,  51).  "bis  mich  kalt  die  Erde 
deckt":  Fragment  4  (VII,  53).  "Ein  kiihlig  Grab!":  Die 
Kindesmorderin  30  (VII,  68).  "das  kalte  Grab":  Melancholic 
einer  Stunde  14  (VII,  98).  "des  Grabes,  ach  des  kalten" :  Der 
Kirchhof  19  (VII,  100).  "Klang  der  Spharen  ....  tonet  in 
dein  kiihl  Gemach  hernieder" :  An  einen  Verkannten  13-5  (VII, 
40). 


288         STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

takable  fondness  for  the  cool,  dark  earth,  despite  all 
sepulchral  associations  ;34  and  positively  agreeable  sensa- 
tions are  reproduced  when  Hebbel  represents  the  dew 
falling  upon  dry  fields  or  cooling  the  parched  lips  of 
flowers.35 

(3)  Flowers  and  Foliage.  Dermal  sensations  enter 
imperceptibly  into  the  feelings  evoked  by  objects  in 
nature,  very  much  as  sight  plays  an  unappreciated  part 
in  the  process  of  localizing  sounds.  We  are  often  re- 
ceiving unconscious  impressions  of  surface  when  we 
imagine  ourselves  revelling  altogether  in  forms  and 
colors.  Actually  to  recline  upon  soft,  fresh  grass  is  to 
come  into  closer  touch — spiritually  as  well  as  bodily — 
with  the  throbbing  life  of  nature.  A  passage  in  the  diary 
records  just  such  communion  with  nature  through  the 
link  of  bodily  contact:  "Das  Gefiihl  Nachmittags  im 
Grase  einzuschlaf en :  Gesumse  der  Kafer,  Sonnen- 
stralen,  sauselnde  Liifte,  all  das  reiche  Leben  rings 
umher"  (Tgb.  I,  877).  In  the  lyrics  Hebbel  gen- 
erally represents  verdure  through  the  medium  of  more 
striking  features  than  those  recorded  by  touch.  Occa- 
sionally, however,  the  surface  qualities  of  such  objects 
are  emphasized:  "Wo  ....  stachligt-keusch  die  Gerste 
sticht,  wenn  man  sie  noch  so  leise  streift"  is  an  in- 
stance of  this  from  the  poem  Die  Odaliske  5-6  (VI, 
187).  Similarly,  the  pleasures  of  actual  contact  with 


»* "die  ktihle  Erdel":  Ritter  Fortunat  64  (VII,  88).  "doch 
ist's  wunderkiihl  im  tiefen  Erdengrunde" :  Wiedersehen  41-2 
(VII,  134).  "als  kiihle  Erde  wiirde  sie  mich  freundlich  iiber- 
decken":  Der  Mensch  53-4  (VII,  107). 

86  "Spritzend  senkt  der  Thau  sich  auf  das  durst'ge  Land" : 
Ein  nachtliches  Echo  3-4  (VI,  ISO).  ".  .  .  .  dies  Tranken  der 
durstigen  Au !" :  Proteus  24  (VI,  253).  ".  .  .  .  wie  sie  (die 
Blumen)  den  Thau  ....  mit  heissem  Mund  begierig  in  sich 
tranken":  Ein  Bild  2-4  (VI,  326). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  289 

foliage  or  bloom  are  specifically  noted.36  Thus  we  are 
covered  in  fancy  by  falling  leaves,  or  we  are  aroused 
from  sleep  when  overhanging  branches  shake  their 
feathery  blossoms  down  upon  us.37  More  subtle,  more 
suggestive  of  the  tactile  sensations  that  glide  unawares 
into  our  impressions,  are  the  allusions  to  flowers  waving 
delicate,  tender  heads ;  to  the  petals  fluttering  softly  to 
the  ground.38  Even  the  fragrance  of  the  blossoms  par- 
takes of  tactual  quality.  The  odor  of  the  rose,  its  vital 
breath,  Hebbel  by  an  old  fancy  represents  as  hot  with 
passion.39  Similarly  the  juice  of  the  cherry  is  conceived 
to  be  hot,  like  the  blood  of  passionate  youth.40  In  the 


36  "Es  darf  sich  f rohlich  legen  ....  in's  weiche  Grim" : 
Das   Kind   21-2    (VII,    74).    ".  .  .  .  wie  auf    weichem    Moos": 
Romanze,     35     (VII,    42).      "Schlummernd     im     schwellenden 
Griin":    Einziges    Geschiedensein    1    (VI,    212).      "Spielte    mit 
Engeln  auf  weichem  Grim!":  Das  Kind  32  (VII,  66). 

37  "Durch  milden  Blutenregen  weckt'  inn  ....  der  Baum" : 
Liebesgeheimniss  11-2   (VII,  145).     "Doch  der  Baum,  sie  iiber- 
ragend,  streut  auf  sie  die  Bliiten  leise" :  Das  Venerabile,  etc.,  34-5 
(VI,  286).    "Einst  bin  ich  unter'm  Maienbaum  gelegen  ....  wie 
sind  die  Bliiten  da  um  mich  gestoben !" :  Im  romischen  Carneval 
1-3  (VI,  308).    "Die  Blatter  fallen  schon  mit  Macht,  um  ihn  zu 
decken":  Zauberhain  37-8  (VI,  387). 

38 ".  .  .  .  da  heben  die  Blumen  sich  ....  schon  und 
mild":  An  Ludwig  Uhland  5-6  (VII,  99).  "Wie  zarte  Friih- 
lingsbliite  auf  der  Au" :  Lied  43-4  (VII,  34).  "yon  Duft  betaubt, 
fallst  du  in  tiefen  Schlummer,  ein  Rosenblatt,  in  einen  Brunnen 
fliegend" :  An  ein  schones  Kind  7-8  (VI,  321).  "Die  Rosen 
tranken  fort  mit  siisser  Muhe,  bis  ihre  Kelche  fast  zur  Erde 
sanken":  Ein  Bild  7-8  (VI,  326). 

39  "brennend"  :  Vollendung  6.    "den  flammenheissen  Duft" : 
Vollendung  8    (VI,   311).      "wie   sie    (die    Blumen)    den    Thau 
....  mit   heissem   Mund   begierig   in   sich    tranken" :    Ein    Bild 
2-4  (VI,  326).    "Wenn  sie  (die  Rosen)  auch  noch  heiss're  Diifte, 
als  die  rothen,  in  sich  tranken!":  Der  Zauberhain  11-2  (VI,  387). 
Cf.  Tgb.  I,  1620. 

40  "  Dein  Mund  ist  reif  jetzt  fur  den  ersten  Kuss, 

Er  gleicht  der  Herzenskirsche,  die  zersprang 
Vor  aller  Feuersafte  letztem  Schuss, 

Und  nun  verspritzt,  was  sie  so  heiss  durchdrang." 
Auf  ein  errothendes  junges  Mddchen,  das  ich  im 
Louvre  sah,  5-8  (VI,  213) 


290        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

following  beautiful  floral  picture,  with  its  highly  imagi- 
native treatment  of  simple  phenomena,  Hebbel  resorts 
mainly  to  sensations  of  temperature  for  the  portrayal  of 
the  passions  attributed  to  the  personified  flowers: 

"  Im  Morgenwinde  sah  ich  Blumen  wanken 

Und  sah,  wie  sie  den  Thau  der  gold'nen  Fruhe, 
Dass  jede  voller  dufte,  tiefer  gliihe, 
Mit  heissem  Mund  begierig  in  sich  tranken. 

Gesattigt  sah  ich  bald  die  meisten  schwanken, 
Als  glaubten  sie,  dass  keine  nun  verbliihe, 
Die  Rosen  tranken  fort  mit  siisser  Muhe, 

Bis  ihre  Kelche  fast  zur  Erde  sanken. 

Die  andern  wiegten  sich  in  Lustgefuhlen, 
Sie  wollten  eben  lauten  Spott  erheben, 
Da  schoss  die  Sonne  ihre  Flammen-Pfeile. 

Die  Rosen  loschten  sie  im  Thau,  dem  kiihlen, 
Doch  jenen  drangen  sie  in  Mark  und  Leben, 
Man  sah  sie  hingewelkt  nach  kurzer  Weile." 

Bin  Bild  (VI,  326)41 


«  Cf .  also : 
"  Rose  mit  den  heissen  Wangen 

Veilchen,  die  des  Sommers  Bruten 

Bald  erstickt  .... 

Keusche  Lorbeern  selbst  ergltihten; 

Denn  sie  Alle  traf  sein  (i.e.  des  Friihlings)  Hauch." 

Opfer  des  Friihlings,  19-24  (VI,  217) 

"  Die  Rose  liebt  die  Lilie, 

Sie  steht  zu  ihren  Fiissen : 
Bald  los't  die  Glut  ihr  schonstes  Blatt 
Es  fallt,  um  sie  zu  grussen. 

Das  letzte  fangt  die  Lilie 

Und  thut  sich  dicht  zusammen. 
Nun  gliiht  das  Blatt  in  ihrem  Kelch, 

Als  war's  ein  Herz  voll  Flammen." 

Rose  und  Lilie,  1-4;  13-6  (VI,  259) 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  291 

PERSONAL  DESCRIPTION 

In  the  description  of  persons — so  prominent  a  feature 
in  the  poems  of  Hebbel — the  tactual  sense  plays  a  very 
worthy  part.  Terms  from  all  three  groups  of  tactual 
sensations  figure  in  this  connection,  those  associated  with 
temperature  predominating;  and  they  are  employed  both 
literally  and  metaphorically.  Tactual  symbols  referable 
to  substance  and  consistency,  or  to  weight,  are  relatively 
rare  in  personal  descriptions ;  the  few  that  do  appear  are 
either  plainly  metaphorical42  or  readily  admit  of  meta- 
phorical interpretation.  In  the  phrases  "kein  mannlich 
rauh  Gesicht"  and  "den  zarten  Leichnam"  the  epithets 
rauh  and  zart  convey  at  first  blush  distinctly  concrete  and 
sensuous  impressions — the  rough  or  bearded  skin  of  the 
warrior  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  delicate,  tender  flesh 
of  the  dead  child  on  the  other.  But  these  strictly  physi- 
cal qualities  do  not  exhaust  the  connotation  of  the  epi- 
thets in  the  context.  Rauh  and  zart  have  aside  from 
their  literal  sense  a  more  remote  implication,  suggesting 
certain  well-defined  spiritual  qualities,  such  as  masculine 
hardihood  and  sternness  in  the  one  case,  and  tender 
youth  fulness  in  the  other.  The  mental  process  here  ap- 
pears to  be  a  reversal  of  that  occasioned  by  the  sanft  and 
lind  associations,  yet  the  two  instances  are  equally  illus- 


"Aus  den  Knospen,  die  euch  deckten, 
Siisse  Rosen,  mein  Entzucken, 
Lockte  euch  der  heisse  Siid; 

Doch  die  Gluten,  die  euch  weckten, 
Drohen  jetzt,  euch  zu  ersticken, 

Ach,  ihr  seid  schon  halb  vergliiht !" 

Die  Rosen  im  SMen,  1-6  (VI,  277) 

42 ".  .  .  .  das  weiche  Herz  zerwiihlen" :  Stanzen  auf  ein 
Sicilianisches  Schwesterpaar  22  (VI,  215).  "du  schluchztest,  auf- 
gethaut  und  weich":  Grossmutter  33  (VI,  240).  "Und  so  wie 
ihr  Blick  sich  feuchtet" :  Das  Madchen  im  Kampf,  etc.,  31  (VI, 
232). 


292        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

trative  of  the  quickening  part  played  by  certain  contact 
qualities  in  our  perceptual  elaborations.  We  have  an- 
other phase  of  the  same  phenomenon  in  the  following 
effective  catachresis:  "Kleines  Madchen  im  Tuilerieen- 
Garten  mit  stechenden  Bienenaugen."43  Summarily  to 
refer  such  epithets  to  this  or  that  rhetorical  category  is 
inadequate.  Here  again  is  exhibited  that  capacity  for 
remote  suggestion  inherent  in  certain  linguistic  symbols; 
a  capacity  that  enables  the  poet  to  body  forth  and  at  the 
same  time  to  imbue  with  soul,  while  it  enables  us  to  sense 
the  outward  material,  and  simultaneously  to  divine  the 
inward  immaterial,  which  requires  for  its  recognition  the 
co-operation  of  the  imaginative  faculties. 

As  was  said,  the  tactual  terms  referable  to  temperature 
far  outnumber  those  of  the  other  two  groups  in  the 
figure  descriptions.  Hebbel's  habit  of  contrasting  oppo- 
site qualities,  very  marked  in  his  use  of  lights  and  sounds, 
is  exhibited  also  in  certain  passages  that  employ  tactual 
qualities  as  a  medium  of  personal  description.44  This 
antithesis  of  opposites  becomes  especially  effectual  where 
a  contrast  is  formally  instituted  or  indirectly  suggested 
between  the  heat  of  the  normal  human  body  and  its 
frigid  immobility  when  life  has  departed  from  the  body.45 


«  Tgb.  II,  3206. 

44  "Nun  kiihlt  er  die  heissen  Wangen,  die  gliihende  Stirn 
zumal":  Der  Kranke  7-8  (VI,  262).  ".  .  .  .  flossten  ....  in's 
kalte  Herz  den  warmsten  Abglanz  gottlicher  Geftihle" :  Freund- 
schaft  16-7  (VII,  21).  "Ihm  kiisst  ein  kiihler  Hauch  die 
heissen  Wangen":  Sonett  9  (VII,  174). 

46"Denn  du  Bluhend-Lebenswarmer  bist  nun  bald  so  kalt, 
wie  ich":  Die  Spanierin  35-6  (VI,  176).  ".....  im  Moment 
vernichtender  Erkaltung  ein  Hauch,  der  neu  und  frisch  die 
Flamme  zundet":  Der  Mensch  13-4  (VII,  176).  "Wenn  tief 
dich  ein  Gefiihl  ergreift,  wie  es  yielleicht  dich  einst  bewegt,  und 
dir  den  Schnee  vom  Herzen  streift,  der  langst  sich  schon  darauf 
gelegt":  Auf  ein  altes  Madchen  13-6  (VI,  207).  "Wollt  ihr 
mit  den  kalten  Lippen,  die  kein  Jungling  warm  gektisst" :  Letzter 
Gruss  9-10  (VI,  214).  ".  .  .  .  all  die  stumme  Trauer,  die  mir 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  293 

In  addition  to  passages  that  couple  opposite  sensa- 
tions, we  find  many  references  to  bodily  temperature.  It 
is  rather  uncommon  to  meet  allusions  to  the  natural 
warmth  of  the  body  independent  of  internal  or  external 
influences,  yet  a  few  instances  of  such  allusion  are  note- 
worthy.46 Generally  body  temperature  as  a  feature  of 
personal  description  enters  on  the  one  hand  as  an  effect 
of  physical  and  external  causes :  sickness  and  death,  the 
weather,  indulgence  in  stimulants,  violent  physical  exer- 
tions that  heat  the  body,  etc.  Thus  the  beggar  maiden 
is  left  shivering  in  the  cold.47  The  Captain  of  Hussars 
warms  himself  inwardly  with  wine.48  The  toiling  peas- 
ants are  hot  and  reeking.49  The  sick  man  is  shaken  with 
chill.50  The  body,  lifeless  and  cold,  is  a  common  feature 


das  Herz  noch  schwellt,  umschwebt  als  letzter  Schauer  euch  kalt 
aus  dieser  Welt":  Nachtlicher  Gruss  21-4  (VI,  227).  Cf.  Tgb. 
I,  1555. 

46  Bliihend-Lebenswarmer" :      Spanierin     35      (VI,     176). 
"Warm  spritzt  mir  in's  Gesicht  dein  Blut !" :  's  1st  Mitternacht 
22  (VI,  174).    "Wie  lange  halt  der  Wurm  (Mensch)  die  Warme 
fest!":  Auf  dem  Meer  16   (VI,  251).    ".  .  .  .  wenn  das  warme 
Leben  in  deinen  Adern  stille  steht" :  Das  alte  Haus  51-2   (VI, 
266) .     "das  hitzigste  Gesicht  des   diimmsten  Kramers" :   Aller- 
unterthanigstes  Pro  Memoria  24-5    (VII,  48).     "Audi  mir  er- 
blasst  die  heisse  Wange" :   Bei  einem  Gewitter   17    (VII,   124). 
".  .  .  .  Herzensblut,  das  eben  entsprudelt  in  warmer  Flut" :  Der 
Zauberer  13-4  (VII,  51). 

47  "Das  Bettelmadchen  lauscht  am  Thor,  es  f riert  sie  gar 
zu  sehr":  Das  Bettelmadchen  1-2  (VI,  181).    Cf.  "so  muss  man 
erst  erfroren   sein" :   Mir  will  das  zimperliche   Wesen  4    (VII, 
145). 

48  "Der   Hauptmann  setzt  sich  zum  Pocal,  sich  innerlich 
zu  warmen" :  Husaren-Werbung  28  (VI,  191).    "er  (der  Wein) 
wird   mein    Blut    erhitzen":    Die   beiden    Zecher   5    (VI,    319). 
".  .  .  .  Bald     wirbeln  ....  mildere     Gluten     mir     durch     die 
Brust":  Vor  dem  Wein  13-6  (VII,  147). 

49  "Es   gilt   den   letzten   Schweiss"  ....  "zum    Schweisse 
fliesst  schon  Blut":  ....  "Seid  ihr  nicht  selbst  erhitzt?  .  .  .  . 
Bin  ich  es  denn,  der  schwitzt?":  Ein  Dithmarsischer  Bauer  28; 
84;  138-140  (VI,  160). 

60  "zum    Fieberkranken    sagen,    vom    Frost    geschuttelt" : 
Allerunterthanigstes     Pro     Memoria    14-5     (VII,    48).      "Zum 


294       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

in  the  poems.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the 
passages  in  which  the  temperature  of  the  living  and  the 
dead  body  are  contrasted.  In  addition  there  are  re- 
peated allusions  to  the  hands,  the  lips,  the  kiss  chilled 
by  death,  or  to  the  icy  touch  of  Death  itself.51 

On  the  other  hand,  bodily  temperature  is  introduced 
as  a  concomitant  of  emotion,  as  the  direct  attendant  and 
symptom  of  psychic  conditions.  So  we  have  the  warmth 
that  betokens  love  and  friendship;  the  flushed  cheeks 
and  pulsating  temples  hot  and  swollen  with  passionate 
desire;  the  burning  tears  of  grief,  the  chill  of  fear.52 


Jiingling  ....  der  kalt  schon  wird" :  Der  Zauberer  25-6  (VII, 
51).  "Ihm  (dem  Kranken)  kiisst  ein  kiihler  Hauch  die  heissen 
Wangen":  Sonett  9  (VII,  174). 

61"Doch  die  (Hand)  war  feucht  und  kalt":  Der  Maler 
16  (VI,  175).  ".  .  .  .  du  bist  wieder  todt  und  kalt":  Auf  ein 
altes  Madchen  32  (VI,  207).  ".  .  .  .  mit  den  kalten  Lippen": 
Letzter  Gruss  9  (VI,  214).  "Ich  habe  mit  dem  Tod  gerungen, 
er  griff  nach  mir  mit  eis'ger  Hand" :  Genesungsgefiihl  1-2 
(VII,  172).  ".  .  .  .  steckt  den  Ring  an  die  kalte  Hand":  Der 
Ring  58  (VII,  58).  ".  .  .  .  ihr  letzter  kalter  Kuss":  Das  Wieder- 
sehen  103  (VII,  109).  ".  .  .  .  im  Moment  vernichtender  Erkal- 
tung":  Der  Mensch  13  (VII,  176). 

52  "Ihr  aber  schwillt  schon  jetzt  das  Blut  bis  an  der 

Adern  letzten  Rand":  Die  Odaliske  33-4  (VI,  187).  " heiss 

vom  Ringen":  Das  griechische  Madchen  1  (VII,  137). 
".  .  .  .  brennend  fallt  die  reinste  Menschenthrane" :  Morgen  und 
Abend  19  (VI,  264).  "Thranen  heiss  und  mild":  Der  Knabe 
15  (VII,  105).  "Zum  letzten  Mai  die  Hand  zu  driicken,  die  warm 
die  meine  wieder  driickt":  Zum  letzten  Mai  1-2  (VII,  147).  "die 
Thranen  stillten  wir,  die  brennend  uns  entstiirzen" :  Grab- 
schriften  fur  Emil  Rousseau  5  (VII,  166).  "Als  noch  kein 
Freund  an  Freundes  Busen  ruhte  und  mit  des  eig'nen  Herzens 
warmstem  Blute,"  etc. :  Freundschaft  7-8  (VII,  21).  "Da  fiihlte 
ich  mich  gliihender  umwunden  und  heiss  ....  gekusst" :  Ein 
Gebet  10-1  (VII,  126).  "Das  Kind  durchschauert's  fremd  und 
kalt":  Das  Kind  am  Brunnen  31  (VI,  180).  ".  .  .  .  wie  be- 
schleicht  es  mit  Schmerz  kalt  mir  den  innersten  Frieden !" : 
Einziges  Geschiedensein  5-6  (VI,  212).  "Was,  wie  ein  gott- 
licher  Hauch,  jetzt  dich  durchzittert,  das  Leben" :  Einziges 
Geschiedensein  9-10.  "O  Blitz,  der  aus  dem  Tiefsten  springt 
und  mir  durch  jede  Faser  zuckt,  der  mich  mit  neuer  Glut  durch- 
dringt":  Neue  Liebe  1-3  (VI,  212). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  295 

Similarly  the  cold  sweat  of  terrified  awe,  or  of  horror 
is  exhibited.  The  beggar  maid  is  chilled  and  silent 
when  her  advances  meet  with  cold  disdain.53  In  the 
poem  Requiem  (VI,  149),  the  very  dead  are  warmed 
into  glow  by  the  fond  remembrance  of  the  living,  but 
resume  their  frigid  pallor  when  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  survive  them  love  has  given  way  to  indifference: 

"  Sieh,  sie  umschweben  dich, 
Schauernd,  verlassen, 
Und  in  den  heiligen  Gluten, 
Die  den  Armen  die  Liebe  schiirt, 
Athmen  sie  auf  und  erwarmen, 
Und  geniessen  zum  letzten  Mai 
Ihr  verglimmendes  Leben. 

Und  wenn  du  dich  erkaltend 
Ihnen  verschliessest,  erstarren  sie 
Bis  hinein  in  das  Tiefste,"  etc. 

Requiem,  3-9;  14-6  (VI,  149) 

In  these  tactual  symbols  of  emotional  states  the  diffi- 
culty of  distinguishing  between  the  sensuous  and  the 
metaphorical  again  becomes  extreme.  We  decide  with- 
out hesitancy  for  metaphor  in  certain  passages,64  in 


53  "Das  Madchen  sagt  kein  einzig  Wort,  es  f riert  sie  gar 
zu  sehr":  Das  Bettelmadchen  6-7  (VI,  181).     (The  term  "friert" 
here  clearly  suggests  the  physical  concomitant  of  emotion,  not 
the  bodily  effect  of  external  conditions  as  is  the  case  in  lines  1-2 
of  the  same  poem.)     Cf.  Mir  will  das  Zimperliche,  etc.,  4  (VII, 
145). 

54  "Ich  aber  mogte  nicht  zu  f  ruh'  erkalten" :  An  Christine 
Engehausen  5   (VI,  313).     ".  .  .  .  dieses  Deutschland  wird  uns 
schwer   erwarmen":    An    Christine   Engehausen   9.     ".  .  .  .  des 
Herbstes  letzten  Segen  ....  nicht  kalt  versch.mah.en" :  Unsere 
Zeit   12-4    (VI,  315).     ".  .  .  .  diese  Kiinstlerin  wird  nie  erkal- 
ten":  Der   Mensch  und   die  Geschichte   6    (VI,   320).     "Bei'm 
Sirenenrufe  kalt":  Fragmente,  No.  4,  20  (VII,  38). 


296        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

others  again  final  decision  is  bound  to  be  arbitrary.55 
There  are  undoubtedly  genuine  bodily  impressions  of 
heat  and  cold  implicated  in  the  emotions  of  the  soul. 
But  when  the  poet  portrays  his  creatures  in  such  emo- 
tional states,  does  he  actually  feel  the  glow  of  passion  or 
the  chill  of  grief  in  sympathy  with  them  ?  Does  he  expe- 
rience through  imagination  genuine  sensory  stimulation  ? 
Or  are  "hot"  and  "cold"  in  these  contexts  merely 
conventional  metaphors,  convenient  symbols  for  emo- 
tional states,  and  unaccompanied  by  reflex  nervous  pro- 
cesses? This  question  was  touched  upon  in  connection 
with  sanft,  lind,  weich  and  rauh  and  hart  above.  The 
opinion  there  expressed  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the 
evidence  afforded  in  Hebbel's  effective  resort  to  tem- 
perature terms  as  emotional  expression  media.  In 
heiss,  brennend,  Glut,  frieren,  and  the  like,  employed  as 
names  for  physical  concomitants  of  emotion,  we  have 
again  something  more  than  perfunctory  transference  of 
sensuous  epithets  to  emotional  phenomena.  Such  trans- 
ference would  most  likely  end  by  becoming  a  purely 
arbitrary  procedure,  a  mere  substitution  of  concrete  for 
abstract,  enlisting  little  if  any  sensory  co-operation.  The 
temperature  terms  in  Hebbel's  songs  afford  evidence  that 
their  employment  was  attended  in  the  poet's  conscious- 
ness by  marked  bodily  responses.  Heat  and  cold  as  ele- 
ments of  temperament,  mood  and  emotion,  unquestion- 
ably involve  positive  motor  disturbances ;  it  is,  therefore, 
a  fair  inference  that  ideations  of  such  psycho-sensory 
qualities  through  the  corresponding  linguistic  sense- 


55 ".  .  .  .  der  Pulse  feuriges  Bewegen !" :  Liebeszauber  84 
(VI,  156).  "Das  Kind  durchschauert's  fremd  und  kalt":  Das 
Kind  am  Brunnen  31  (VI,  180).  ".  .  .  .  mogtest  gern  dich 
erwarmen  an  meiner  hochschlagenden  Brust" :  Rosa  119-120 
(VII,  28). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  297 

symbols  occasion  in  natures  of  a  certain  fineness  com- 
mensurate sensory  thrills.  Such  bodily  responses  are 
probably  not  universal;  even  highly  sensitive  poets  may 
experience  them  only  under  stimulation  of  unusual  in- 
tensity. Yet  the  conclusion  appears  safe  that  in  a  nature 
of  so  marked  sensitivity  as  Hebbel's,  environmental  im- 
pressions of  the  type  in  question  generally  assumed  ex- 
ceptional vigor  when  reproduced  in  his  mind  because 
of  the  corporeal  elements  embedded  in  such  mental 
reproduction. 

The  examples  already  cited  adequately  show  Hebbel's 
susceptibility  to  impressions  of  bodily  temperature.  That 
he  placed  a  high  estimate  upon  the  poetic  value  of  such 
impressions,  that  he  regarded  them  as  proper  media  for 
high  poetic  effect  and  that  he  frequently  employed  them 
as  efficient  means  to  the  achievement  of  such  effect,  are 
perfectly  warrantable  inferences  from  the  data  already 
submitted.  The  two  poems  Die  Spanierin  and  Die 
Odaliske,  separated  in  date  of  composition  by  a  dozen 
years,  both  effectively  employ  qualities  of  the  group 
under  question  to  portray  two  types  of  passionate 
womanhood.  Significant  in  this  connection  is  the  im- 
pression made  upon  Hebbel  by  Thomas  Moore's  Auf 
eine  schone  Ostindierin,  as  the  poem  is  named  in  Freili- 
grath's  translation.  He  pronounces  the  poem,  with  its 
brilliant  and  glowing  portrayal  of  the  Indian  maiden, 
unparalleled  by  any  of  the  original  pieces  in  the  entire 
volume  of  Freiligrath.  The  image  of  the  maiden  is 
achieved  in  part  through  terms  of  bodily  temperature,  in 
part  through  terms  of  color  and  light  in  which  the  asso- 
ciated ideas  of  bodily  temperature  are  prominent.  The 
poem  so  strikingly  exhibits  the  employment  of  sensuous 
media,  the  impression  made  by  these  elements  upon  Heb- 
bel was  so  marked  and  so  critically  timed  that  we  here 


298       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

quote  the  poem  exactly  as   Hebbel  copied  it  into  his 
diary : 

"  Wenn  Jeder,  die  ein  Sonnenkind, 
In  Aug'  und  Busen  Feuer  wohnt, 
Dann  sind,  die  dich  so  nennen,  blind, 
Dich  sandte  nur  der  bleiche  Mond. 

Und  dennoch — ziindend  bliebe  kalt 
Dies  Auge,  f eurig,  suss  und  licht  ? 
Ihr  Lippen,  die  ihr  purpurn  wallt, 
Euch  ziemt  Dianens  Siegel  nicht. 

O,  einen  Stral  der  Sonne  nur, 
Die  Deines  Ganges  Fluten  kocht, 
Zu  wandeln  Dich,  Du  Lichtnatur, 
In  Alles,  was  mein  Herz  erpocht. 

Ha — plotzlich  lodern  Dich  zu  sehn 
In  Deiner  ganzen  gliihnden  Pracht, 
Und  dann  im  Brande  zu  vergehn, 
Den  ich  doch  selber  angefacht!" 

Auf  eine  schone  Ostindierin,  Tgb.  I,  1553,  p.  351 

ANIMAL  LIFE 

Touch,  as  employed  by  Hebbel  in  connection  with  ani- 
mal life,  is  practically  negligible.  There  are  faint  asso- 
ciations with  contact  produced  by  the  line  "nur  leise 
strich  ein  weisser  Schmetterling,"56  and  again  by  the  line 
"von  leichten  Rossen  schnell  dahin  getragen;"67  but  in 
the  last  instance  any  remote  suggestion  of  contact  or  of 
weight  is  practically  effaced  by  the  dominant  impressions 
of  form  and  motion,  less  directly  by  those  of  bodily 
equilibrium  and  of  exhilaration.  Two  references  to  the 
sting  of  the  bee  belong  more  properly  under  this  head. 
In  one  of  these  a  comparison  is  instituted  between  the 

6«  Sommerbild  6  (VI,  230). 
"Die  Lerche2  (VI,  309). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  299 

bee's  sting  and  sharp  pains  of  experience  that  yield  be- 
neficent consequences.  Here  the  likeness  must  not  be 
scrutinized  too  closely,  since  the  very  first  image  pro- 
duced is  that  of  the  bee  piercing  the  hearts  of  blossoms, 
in  which  case  honey  is  not  given  but  taken  away:  "Der 
Biene  gleicht  das  Leben  ....  sticht  uns  wund  mit  dem 
Stachel,  doch,  wer  Honig  will,  der  halte  auch  dem 
Stachel  still."58 

Effective  again  is  the  application  of  temperature  terms 
to  creatures  cold  in  death.  Hebbel  shared  fully  the 
psycho-sensory  reactions  that  normally  ensue  when 
throbbing  life  conies  into  touch  with  frigid  lifelessness. 
A  long  passage  in  the  diary  describes  the  death  of  his 
beloved  squirrel  "Lampi."  Grief  and  sensations  of  physi- 
cal revulsion  mingle  in  his  consciousness,  when  the  little 
pet  that  he  supposed  asleep  proves  to  be  stark  dead: 
"Ich  griff,  noch  ohne  Angst,  in  den  Korb  und  er  war 
kalt,  steif  und  todt!  Fiirchterliches  Gefiihl,  wenn  sich 
ein  heisses  warmbliitiges  Geschopf  in  ein  Amphibium 
verwandelt  hat!"59  The  same  features  are  employed  in 
the  poem  Der  Schmetterling  to  image  the  dead  butter- 
fly :  "kalt,  erstarrt  und  todt  I"60  A  more  noteworthy  use 
of  temperature  in  reference  to  animal  life  occurs  in  the 
poem  Vogelleben.  Here  a  lone  bird  perched  upon  a  bare 
branch,  lulled  by  the  bitter  stormwind,  awaits  in  quiet 
patience  the  last,  cold  gasp  that  shall  end  its  suffering : 

"  Du  blicktest  in  Geduld, 
Gehiillt  in  dein  Gefieder, 
Vom  kahlen  Zweig  hernieder, 
Vom  Sturm  noch  eingelullt. 


58  Lied  29-34  (VII,  34).     Cf.  also  Auf  eine  Biene  in  der 
Villa  Medicis  9  (VI,  333). 

69  Tgb.  IV,  5937,  Is.  57-60. 

«>  Der  Schmetterling  35  (VI,  196). 


300       STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

Und  ruhig  trankst  du  auch, 
Im  Sterben  noch  zufrieden, 
Den  dir  ein  Gott  beschieden, 
Den  letzten  kiihlen  Hauch!" 

Vogelleben,  (VII,  120) 

INANIMATE  OBJECTS 

We  conclude  with  a  brief  summary  of  the  passages 
in  which  terms  of  touch  are  applied  to  miscellaneous  in- 
animate objects.  Sensations  referable  to  temperature 
again  predominate,  five  out  of  the  eleven  instances  re- 
ferring to  wine,  with  kiihl  employed  four  times  out  of 
five.  Further  than  this  there  are  two  references  to  tem- 
perature in  connection  with  the  sea,  one  each  in  the  de- 
scriptions of  fire ;  a  statue ;  stones ;  a  room ;  and  a  street.61 

The  two  instances  of  feucht  are  excellent  examples  of 
the  faculty  of  sensuous  suggestion.  In  Meeresleuchten 
the  term  feucht  combines  with  Element  to  evoke  an 
image  of  the  deep,  cool,  blue-black  mirror  of  the  sea, 
upon  which  the  radiant  white  image  of  the  emerging 
goddess  is  reflected.  The  oxymoron  in  feucht  and 
Flamme  of  the  second  passage  is  a  happy  reproduction 
in  phrase  of  the  atmospheric  conditions  that  produce  the 
rainbow : 


«i".  .  .  .  zur  kuhlen  Labe" :  Lustig  tritt,  etc.,  3  (VI,  437). 
"das  Memnonsbild,  stumm,  kalt,"  etc.:  Wiirde  des  Volks  10-1 
(VII,  75).  "Bring  mir,  o  Knapp',  den  kuhlen  Wein" :  Des 
Konigs  Jagd  5  (VII,  85).  "der  Knapp'  credenzt  den  kuhlen  Wein"  : 
Des  Konigs  Jagd  8.  ".  .  .  .  jeder  kuhle  Trunk" :  Der  Mensch  35 
(VII,  107).  "die  Welle  hat  so  leer,  als  kalt":  Lebensgeheimniss, 
No.  2,  7  (VII,  159).  "Er  goss  ....  den  Wein,  aus  dem  die 
Sonne  brennt":  Die  schone  Stunde  7-8  (VII,  172).  ".  .  .  .  im 
feuchten  Gestein":  Das  Licht  will  sich  verstecken  17-8  (VII, 
173).  "In  einem  wohlgeheizten  Zimmer" :  Horaz  und  seine 
Regel  24  (VII,  200).  "Enge  Strassen,  dumpf  und  duster": 
Hamburg  1  (VII,  222). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  301 

"  Und  zum  Spiegel,  voll  Verlangen, 
Glatteten  die  Wogen  sich, 

Lachelnd  gonnte  sie  dem  feuchten 
Element  den  letzten  Blick," 

Meeresleuchten,  5-6;  9-10  (VI,  282) 

"  Aus  gliih'nden  Perlen  und  aus  feuchten  Flammen, 
In  dem  auch  keine  Linie  erblich." 

Auf  die  Sixtinische  Madonna,  15-6  (VI,  283) 

Of  touch  terms  referable  to  substance  or  consistency 
six  appear  as  epithets  of  the  inanimate:  welch  occurs 
four  times,  hart  and  Und,  once  each.  The  subjects  are 
too  heterogeneous  to  admit  of  classification.62 

It  will  doubtless  be  clear  from  the  foregoing  discus- 
sion that  the  tactual  element  enters  into  the  substance  of 
Hebbel's  poetry  with  marked  frequency  and  in  a  con- 
siderable variety  of  forms.  It  will  be  seen,  too,  that  the 
concrete,  sensuous  instances  outnumber  the  figurative. 
Yet  while  the  preponderance  of  the  sensuous  makes  for 
objectivity  and  picturesque  beauty,  the  metaphors  lend 
that  imaginative  charm  so  indispensable  to  poetic  dic- 
tion. Whatever  of  hackneyed  or  of  commonplace  of- 
fends in  the  songs  can  in  large  part  be  ascribed  to  the 
poetic  principle  inherent  in  language  itself  and  recorded 
in  those  household  tropes  and  figures  that  no  one  alto- 
gether can  discard.  A  poet's  imagery  must  of  neces- 
sity contain  much  that  is  thus  ready  made,  but  it  should 


62  "Es  harrt  auf  weichem  Purpursammt,"  etc. :  Die  Oda- 
liske  1-2  (VI,  187).  ".  .  .  .  setzt  sich  an  den  weichsten  Ort": 
Die  Odaliske  39.  ".  .  .  .  zum  weichen  Bette  wird  ein  barter 
Felsenstein" :  Der  Quell  23-4  (VII,  16).  ".  .  .  .  von  weichem 
Tuch  ist  der  Harnisch":  Ritter  Fortunat  41-2  (VII,  88). 
"Spulst  mir  so  lind  urn  die  Brust" :  Lebensgeheimniss,  No.  1,  2 
(VII,  159).  ".  .  .  .  wie  hart  die  Folterbank":  Der  Jude  an  den 
Christen  23  (VII,  161). 


302        STUDIES  IN  FRIEDRICH  HEBBEL 

contain  in  addition  much  that  is  new  and  that  boldness 
and  originality  alone  can  achieve.63  On  this  latter  point 
Hebbel's  images  worthily  stand  the  test.  And  certainly 
nothing  could  illustrate  the  artistic  side  of  the  poet's 
genius  more  convincingly  than  the  sensuous  blends  cited 
above.  Here  subtle  impressions  that  have  been  vaguely 
felt  by  many  are  phrased  with  a  mastery  possessed  by 
few. 

There  is  an  early  poem  of  Hebbel's,  entitled  Der 
Mensch  (VII,  107),  that  is  noteworthy  because  it  shows 
the  young  poet  imbued  with  reverence  for  the  inherent 
dignity  of  man  and  at  the  same  time  fascinated  by  the 
idea  of  a  close  filial  bond  between  man  and  the  lower 
orders  of  creation.  In  the  two  stanzas  quoted  the  poet 
addresses  Nature  as  his  sister,  muses  upon  this  hypo- 
thetical kinship  and  fancies  the  joys  that  would  be  his 
were  he  actually  to  live  with  the  birds  and  the  trees,  as 
their  veritable  brother.  The  beautiful  interplay  of 
tactual  impressions  in  these  lines,  the  deftly  suggested 
sensuous  blends,  the  graceful  mingling  of  the  concrete 
and  the  metaphorical,  the  poetic  feeling  and  fancy  that 
quicken  the  imagery — all  these  combine  to  elevate  gross 
sense  impressions  into  noble  poetic  media: 

"  Da  war'  mir  jeder  West  ein  Gruss, 

Womit  mich  Du  begliicktest, 
Und  jeder  kiihle  Trunk  ein  Kuss, 

Womit  mich  Du  entziicktest, 
Und  Luft  und  Duft  ein  siisser  Hauch 

Aus  Deinem  Schwestermunde, 
Und  jeder  bliitenvolle  Strauch 

Von  Deiner  Huld  ein  Kunde. 


68  Cf.  Hebbel's  merciless  arraignment  of  the  poet  whose 
diction  is  mere  toying  with  the  empty  pods  and  shells  of  speech : 
Einem  Ursprtinghchen  21-4  (VI,  350). 


THE  TACTUAL  SENSE  303 

Und  kehrte  ich  ermudet  nun 

Zuriick  in's  Granzenlose, 
Da  diirft'  ich  sanft  und  selig  ruh'n 

In  meiner  Schwester  Schoosse; 
Als  kuhle  Erde  wurde  sie 

Mich  freundlich  iiberdecken, 
Und  dann  in  zarter  Sympathie 

Als  Sonne  mich  erwecken." 

Is.  33-40 ;  49-56 


FINIS 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

NOTE. 

The  following  is  not  intended  to  be  a  Hebbel  bibliography,  but 
simply  a  compilation  of  the  various  works  consulted,  arranged 
in  the  alphabetical  order  of  the  authors'  names.  The  list  is  con- 
fined in  the  main  to  such  writings  as  are  specifically  cited  in  the 
body  or  notes  of  the  "Studies."  It  is  designed  as  a  possible  aid 
to  verification  or  further  consultation.  To  facilitate  reference  the 
alphabetical  arrangement  was  adopted,  rather  than  a  formal 
topical  grouping. 

Allen,  Grant.     Physiological  ^Esthetics.     London,  1877. 

The  Colour-Sense.    Houghton,  Osgood  &  Co.,  Boston,  1879. 

Amiel,  Henri-Frederic.  The  Journal  Intime,  translated  with 
introduction  and  notes  by  Mrs.  Humphry  Ward.  Mac- 
millan,  London  and  New  York,  1885. 

Angell,  James  Rowland.    Psychology.    4  ed.    New  York,  1910. 

Bagehot,  Walter.  Literary  Studies,  with  a  prefatory  Memoir. 
Edited  by  Richard  Holt  Hutton.  2  vols.  London,  1879. 

Bain,   Alexander.     English    Composition    and    Rhetoric.     2   ed. 

Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  London,  1869. 

The  Emotions  and  the  Will.    D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New  York, 
1888. 

Bamberg,  Felix.     Friedrich  Hebbel.     Allgemeine  Deutsche  Bib- 
liographic 11,  169.    Leipzig,  1880. 
Friedrich  Hebbels  Tagebiicher.     Berlin,  1885-87. 

Bartels,  Adolf.  Geschichte  der  deutschen  Litteratur.  2  Bde. 
Leipzig,  1901-02. 

Biese,  Alfred.  Deutsche  Liter aturgeschichte.  3  Bde.  Munchen, 
1907-11. 

Borinski,  Karl.  Geschichte  der  deutschen  Literatur.  2ter  Teil: 
Seit  dem  Ausgang  des  Mittelalters.  Kurschners  Deutsche 
National-Litteratur.  Bd.  163,  2te  Abteilung. 

Coar,  John  Firman.  Studies  in  German  Literature  in  the  Nine- 
teenth Century.  Macmillan,  New  York  and  London,  1903. 

Campbell,  George.     The  Philosophy  of  Rhetoric.     London,  1850. 

Collin,  J.  Die  Weltanschauung  der  Romantik  und  Friedrich 
Hebbel.  [Vgl.  Jahresberichte  fur  neuere  deutsche  Littera- 
turgeschichte,  1895,  IV,  4:373.] 


306  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Croce,  Benedetto.    ^Esthetic  as  Science  of  Expression  and  Gen- 
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millan,  London  and  New  York,  1909. 
De   Walsch,  Faust  Charles.     Grillparzer  as   a  Poet  of   Nature. 

Columbia  University  Germanic  Studies.  New  York,  1910. 
Dilthey,  Wilhelm.  Das  Erlebnis  und  die  Dichtung.  Leipzig,  1906. 
Eckermann,  Johann  Peter.  Gesprache  mit  Goethe  in  den  letzten 

Jahren  seines  Lebens.     Leipzig,  1868. 
Engel,   Eduard.     Geschichte   der   deutschen    Literatur    von    den 

Aufangen    bis   in   die   Gegenwart.     2te   Auflage.     2    Bde. 

Leipzig,  1907. 
Faguet,  Emile.    Tennyson.  The  London  Quarterly  Review.  April, 

1909,  305  S. 
Fischer,  Hermann.    Klassizismus  und  Romantik  in  Schwaben  zu 

Aufang  unseres  Jahrhunderts.      [Vgl.   Jahresberichte   fur 

neure   deutsche   Litteraturgeschichte,    1891,   IV,    11:69-70; 

78.] 
Fischer,    Johannes    Maria.      Studien    zu    Hebbels    Jugendlyrik. 

Dortmund    1910.      [Schriften    der    literarisch-historischen 

Gesellschaft    Bonn.      Herausgegeben   von    Berthold    Litz- 

mann.  Nr.  VI.] 
Fischer,  Ottokar.    Verbindung  von  Farbe  und  Klang.    Zeitschrift 

fiir  Aesthetik,  Bd.  II,  1907,  501-34. 
Franck,  Ludwig.     Statistische  Untersuchung  iiber  die  Verwen- 

dung  der  Farben  in  den  Dichtungen  Goethes.     Giessener 

Dissertation.     Giessen,  1909. 
Genung,  John  Franklin.     The  Working  Principles  of  Rhetoric. 

Ginn  &  Co.,  Boston,  1901. 
Gervinus,  Georg  Gottfried.    Geschichte  der  deutschen  Dichtung. 

5   Bde.     5te   Aufl.    Bd.   III-V.     Herausgegeben   von   Karl 

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Goedeke,  Karl.     Grundriss  zur  Geschichte  der  deutschen  Dich- 
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2  Aufl.  Dresden,  1884-1910;  Bd.  IV  (2)  3te  Aufl.  Dresden, 

1910. 
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Stuttgart  ohne  Jahrgang. 
Kurz,     Heinrich.      Geschichte    der    deutschen    Litteratur    mit 

auserwahlten  Stucken.    4  Bde.    Leipzig,  1851-59. 
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INDEX 

Esthetics,  Hebbel's  theory  of,  28  ff .,  50  ff. 

Animals,  Hebbel's  interest  in,  88  ff .,  179. 

Art,  its  rank  in  the  scale  of  spiritual  activities,  50  ff. ;  its  relation 
to  cosmic  creation,  29;  its  relation  to  philosophy,  29,  30  ff.,  38, 
50;  its  relation  to  religion,  29  ff. ;  the  product  of  a  mysterious 
faculty,  30,  51 ;  the  spiritual  primacy  of,  28. 

Bamberg,  Felix,  his  estimate  of  Hebbel,  2. 
Bells,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  166,  201  ff. 
Black,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  127  ff . 
Blue,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  122  ff. 
Brown,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  130  ff. 
Byron,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  37. 

Color,  its  aesthetic  fitness,  64  ff. ;  its  prominence  among  objective 
impressions,  63. 

Color  allusions,  as  a  feature  of  dramatic  setting,  106  ff. ;  in  Heb- 
bel's poetry,  13  ff.,  72  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's  description  of  animals, 
88  ff.;  of  dress,  97;  of  flowers,  87  ff.;  of  inanimate  objects, 
95  ff . ;  of  landscape,  86  ff . ;  of  nature,  83  ff . ;  of  the  heavens 
and  heavenly  bodies,  83  ff. ;  of  persons,  90  ff. 

Color  appreciation,  of  the  Homeric  bards,  70;  of  the  Hebrew 
Chroniclers,  70;  of  modern  English  and  German  poets,  70  ff. 

Color  contrasts,  Hebbel's  employment  of,  100  ff . 

Color  elements,  The,  in  the  poetry  of  Goethe,  Schiller,  Shakes- 
peare, R.  Wagner  and  others,  78  ff. 

Color  groups,  in  Hebbel's  poetry,  98  ff. 

Color  pleasure,  its  nature  and  evolution,  67  ff. 

Color  rhapsody,  98  ff. 

Color  sense,  Hebbel's,  13,  72  ff . ;  its  ethnological  diffusion,  67  ff.  ; 
its  linguistic  expression  important  in  literary  .criticism,  72. 

Color  vocabulary,  its  relation  to  color  appreciation,  69  ff. 

Concreteness,  a  prerequisite  of  poetry,  36,  38;  a  feature  of  Heb- 
bel's color  allusions,  112  ff. 

Creation,  artistic,  contrasted  with  reflection,  30 ;  .poetic,  the  sequel 
and  symbol  of  nature's  evolution,  28  ff. 

Critical  formulae,  Hebbel's,  35  ff. 

Cutaneous  sense,  The,  268  ff,  270. 


312  INDEX 

Denktatigkeit,  compared  with  Dichttdtigkeit,  51. 
Dermal  impressions,  268  ff.,  270. 
Diaries,  importance  of  Hebbel's,  6ff. 
Dramas,  Hebbel's,  their  rank  and  character,  8. 
Dramatic  elements,  in  Hebbel's  poems,  182  ff. 
Dream,  its  resemblance  to  poetic  invention,  48  ff.,  51  ff.,  58. 
Dualism,  the  key  to  Hebbel's  Weltanschauung,  31  ff. 
Dunkel  terms,  their  relative  frequency  in  poetry,  81. 

Editions,  of  Hebbel's  poems,  11  ff. 

Ego,  The,  its  fusion  with  the  non-ego,  49,  58  ff. 

Emotion,  in  Hebbel's  lyrics,  10,  43,  53  ff.,  86. 

Entindividualisierung ,  26,  34. 

Euphonic  elements  in  poetry,  Hebbel's  appreciation  of,  160  ff. 

Exteriority,  indispensable  to  poetry,  38  ff. 

Falb,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  132. 

Feeling,  The  sense  of,  267  ff. 

Form,  as  criterion  of  art,  42  ff. ;  as  an  element  in  Hebbel's  poetry, 

43  ff. 
French  Poets,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  41. 

Gefuhlssinn,  267  ff. 

Gemut,  as  an  element  in  lyric  poetry,  54. 

Genius,  Hebbel's,  varying  estimates  of,  1  ff. 

Glanz,  Glut  and  Schein,  their  frequency  in  poetry,  80  ff. ;  their 

prominence  in  descriptions  of  the  rhapsodic  type,  80  ff. 
Glut,  a  blending  of  color  and  touch,  278  ff. 
Goethe,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  39,  40  (footnote). 
Gold,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  121  ff. 
Grabbe,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  37. 
Gray,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  128  ff. 
Green,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  124  ff. 
Grillparzer,  his  rank  compared  with  Hebbel's,   1 ;  as  a  poet  of 

nature,  17  ff. 

Guilt,  tragic,  Hebbel's  theory  of,  33  ff.,  41,  43. 
Gutzkow,  Karl,  5,  37  (footnote). 

Hebbel,  changeable  interest  in,  2  ff. ;  critical  formulae  of,  35  ff. ; 
his  color  vocabulary  compared  with  Swinburne's,  76 ff.; 
compared  with  Goethe's,  Schiller's,  Shakespeare's  and 
Wagner's,  78  ff.,  81  ff. ;  his  double  nature  as  revealed  in  his 


INDEX  313 

diaries,  251  ff.;  his  sound  allusions  compared  with  E.  T.  A. 
Hoffmann's,  210  ff. ;  his  theory  of  art  compared  with  Schell- 
ing's,  29  (footnote),  41;  his  theory  of  lyric  poetry,  53  ff.;  his 
theory  of  tragic  guilt,  33  ff.,  41,  43;  his  treatment  by  older 
historians  of  German  literature,  2  ff. ;  originality  of  his  art 
and  message,  43 ;  reasons  for  present  interest  in,  4  ff. 

Hebbeliana,  3ff. 

Hebbel's  color  impressions,  intensity  of,  72;  childlike  naivete  of, 
74 ff.;  uniform  persistency  of,  74 ff.;  qualitative  character- 
istics of,  75  ff.,  82  ff. 

Hegel,  aesthetic  theory  of,  50  ff. ;  his  kinship  with  Hebbel,  27,  41. 

Heine,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  36. 

Hell  terms,  their  relative  frequency  in  poetry,  81. 

Higher  senses,  The,  64  ff. ;  as  Sprachsinne,  66  ff. 

Hoffmann,  E.  T.  A.,  his  influence  upon  Hebbel,  11,  12,  210 ff.; 
his  sounds  compared  with  Hebbel's,  210  ff. ;  his  references  to 
silence,  249  ff. 

Hugo,  Victor,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  40. 

Human  elements,  Their  importance  in  Hebbel's  poetry,  7,  8,  33. 

Idealism,  Hegel's,  27. 

Incommunicable,  The,  44  and  footnote. 

Individuality,  versus  the  cosmic  Idee,  7,  26,  31,  33,  34  ff.,  36,  181. 

Inner  form,  8,  32,  36. 

Insoluble,  The,  44  ff. 

Intellection,  compared  with  intuition,  23,  30,  38,  50  ff.,  58 ;  its  part 

in  artistic  invention,  23,  25,  50  ff. 
Intuition,  compared  with  intellection,  23,  30,  38,  50  ff.,  58. 

Jewels,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  13. 

Kinaesthetic  sensations,  270. 

Kleist,  Hebbel's  criticism  of  his  K'dtchen,  37;  his  influence  upon 

Hebbel,  11,  12. 
Kuh,  Emil,  his  conception  of  Hebbel's  nature,  42  (footnote)  ;  his 

estimate  of  Hebbel,  2. 

Laube,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  39. 

Light  (see  under  Color). 

Light,  fire  and  flame,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  132  ff. 

Line  and  form,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  15. 

Lower  senses,  The,  aesthetic  competence  of,  63  ff. 


314  INDEX 

Ludwig,  Otto,  his  criticism  of  Hebbel,  5,  7  (footnote). 
Lyric  poetry,  Hebbel's  conception  of,  53  ff. 
Lyrics,  Hebbel's,  8  ff. 

Maeterlinck,  his  conception  of  silence,  225,  242. 

Moore,  Thomas,  Hebbel's  admiration  for  his  Auf  ewe  schone 

Ostindierin,  93,  297. 
Mosen,  J.,  Hebbel's  approval  of  his  Der  Trompeter  an  der  Kats- 

bach,  171. 

Motor  effects,  involved  in  the  enjoyment  of  poetry,  163. 
Musenaltnanach,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  36. 
Music,  Hebbel's  susceptibility  to,  14,  160,  171,  178,  201,  213. 
Musical   sounds,   Hebbel's   allusions   to,  201  ff. ;   theatricism   of 

Hebbel's  allusions  to,  203. 
Mysterious,  The,  its  place  in  poetry,  44,  51,  54,  60. 

Nature  colors,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  83  ff. 
Naturgefuhl,  16  ff.,  18,  19. 

Neutral  colors,  their  prominence  in  poetry,  79  ff. 
Nirvana,  27. 

Objective    impressions,    indispensable   to    subjective    experience, 

56  ff. 

Onomatopoeia,  164. 

Onomatopoetic  sounds,  in  Hebbel's  poems,  166. 
Organic  sensations,  268,  270. 
"Orientalism,"  Hebbel's,  13,  72  ff. 

Pain  and  pleasure,  their  relation  to  the  tactual  sense,  272  ff. 

Particular  versus  universal,  31,  36,  38,  51,  54,  60. 

Passion,  in  Hebbel's  Lyrics,  10. 

Pater,  Walter,  quoted,  42. 

Physical  environment,  man's,  Hebbel's  attitude  toward,  39,  55  ff. 

Pink,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  131. 

Plato,  27,  42. 

Pleasure  and  pain,  their  relation  to  the  tactual  sense,  272. 

Plenary  sense,  The,  49,  53,  57,  58,  86,  87. 

Poe,  Edgar  Allan,  his  employment  of  silence,  250  ff . 

Poetry,  its  relation  to  philosophy,  38;  the  intellectual  element  in, 
23  ff.,  25;  the  nature  of,  20 ff.,  22  ff.;  the  prerequisites  of, 
35  ff . ;  the  range  of  its  emotions,  24  ff . ;  two  meanings  of  the 
term,  20  ff. 

Purple,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  129  ff. 


INDEX  315 

Red,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  119ff. ;  its  popularity  with  poets,  79. 

Reflection,  as  an  element  in  Hebbel's  poetry,  10,  43,  60;  con- 
trasted with  poetic  invention,  30,  60;  unfavorable  to  poetry, 
38,  44,  57. 

Rhyme,  164 ;  its  influence  upon  Hebbel's  use  of  color,  95. 

Rhythm,  164  ff. 

Rtickert,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  36. 

Schelling,  his  theory  of  art  compared  with  Hebbel's,  29  (foot- 
note), 41. 

Schiller,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  13,  37  (footnote),  40;  his  influence 
upon  Hebbel,  11,  12;  the  color  allusions  in  his  poetry,  78  fit. 

Schmidt,  Julian,  5. 

Schopenhauer,  his  Weltanschauung  and  Hebbel's  compared,  41  ff. 

Sense  qualities,  their  part  in  aesthetic  enjoyment,  21  ff. 

Sensuousness,  as  a  phase  of  traditional  Naturgefiihl,  16 ff.;  his- 
torical aspects  of  Hebbel's,  16  ff.;  of  Hebbel's  lyrics,  10,  11, 
25,  55  ff.,  57,  60,  61 ;  indispensable  to  poetry,  36,  38. 

Shelley,  his  colors  compared  with  Hebbel's,  85,  111;  his  concep- 
tion of  sounds,  162  ff . 

Silver,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  131. 

Silence,  as  attribute  of  Divinity,  229  ff. ;  as  concomitant  of 
aesthetic  emotion,  262;  as  manifestation  of  cosmic  life,  236; 
as  poetic  expression  media  of  various  mental  states,  253  ff. ; 
as  Stimmungsmittel,  229;  comparison  of  Hebbel's  employ- 
ment with  that  of  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann  and  Edgar  Allan  Poe, 
249  ff. ;  in  combination  with  other  sense  impressions,  232  ff. ; 
individual  quality  of  Hebbel's  references  to,  262  ff. ;  in  the 
expression  of  tender  emotions,  255  ff. ;  the  expression  of  sor- 
row, 258  ff. ;  Hebbel's  references  to,  14  ff.,  225  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's 
description  of  the  inanimate  world,  238  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's  de- 
scriptions of  night,  233  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's  personal  descriptions, 
240;  in  Hebbel's  poetry,  as  due  to  hereditary  and  environ- 
mental factors  in  his  life,  243  ff. ;  in  nature,  230  ff. ;  method 
of  contrast  in  Hebbel's  reference  to,  227  ff. ;  range  of  Hebbel's 
references  to,  225 ;  theatricism  of  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  237  ff. 

Sleep,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  276  ff. 

Smell,  Hebbel's  allusions  to  sense  of,  15. 

Sound,  its  aesthetic  fitness,  64  ff. ;  its  relation  to  thought  in  human 
speech,  162  ff.;  poetry's  relation  to,  159  ff. 

Sound    allusions,    classification   of    Hebbel's,    185  ff. ;    compared 


316  INDEX 

with  color  allusions  in  Hebbel's  poems,  166  ff. ;  defects  of 
Hebbel's,  166 ff.,  203 ff.;  excellences  of  Hebbel's,  168 ff.; 
Hebbel's  compared  with  E.  T.  A.  Hoffmann's,  210 ff.;  in 
Hebbel's  Journals,  169  ff. 

Sound  contrasts,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  169  ff.,  173  ff . 

Sounds,  used  by  Hebbel,  as  dramatic  setting,  182  ff . ;  as  an  element 
in  poetic  symbolism,  179;  as  Stimmungsmittel,  168  ff.,  170, 
171,  174,  177,  186,  198,  209;  as  a  stimulus  to  poetic  invention, 
172 ;  classification  of,  165  ff . ;  from  miscellaneous  sources  in 
Hebbel's  poetry,  207  ff . ;  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  14,  159  ff . ;  in 
combination  with  other  sensuous  elements,  181  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's 
poems  Das  Haus  am  Meer,  180,  223  ff . ;  Der  junge  Schiffer, 
179;  Die  Schlacht  bei  Hemmingstedt,  180,  223;  Sturm  Abend, 
179 ff.;  ZuPferd,  179. 

Sound  terms,  mannerism  in  Hebbel's  employment  of,  166,  184, 
186;  uniformity  of  Hebbel's,  166  ff. 

Spenser,  color  allusions  in  his  Faerie  Queen,  78  ff. 

Spinoza,  26. 

Subjectivity,  of  Hebbel's  works,  7,  25,  55,  60,  103  ff. 

Substance  or  consistency,  as  an  impression  of  the  tactual  sense, 
272,  291  ff. 

Suffocation,  as  an  organic  sensation,  270,  272,  273  (footnote). 

Supernatural,  The,  Hebbel's  recourse  to,  45. 

Symbolism,  its  function  in  art,  30,  36,  44. 

Symbolists,  color  allusions  in  the  poetry  of,  111. 

Synaesthesia,  as  an  element  in  Hoffmann's  impressions  of  sound, 
218. 

Tactual  allusions,  bodily  stimulation  involved  in,  295  ff.,  301 ; 
analysis  of  Hebbel's,  273  ff. 

Tactual  impressions,  analysis  and  classification  of,  267  ff. ;  blended 
by  Hebbel  with  colors,  sounds,  odors,  etc.,  277  ff. ;  high 
poetic  value  of,  297;  in  Hebbel's  description  of  animals, 
298  ff. ;  of  atmospheric  states,  280  ff. ;  of  flowers,  etc.,  288  ff. ; 
of  the  inanimate  world,  300  ff. ;  of  persons,  291  ff. ;  of  physi- 
cal nature,  280  ff. ;  of  scenery,  287  ff. ;  in  Hebbel's  poem  Der 
Mensch,  302  ff. ;  in  Thomas  Moore's  Auf  eine  schone  Ostin- 
dierin,  297  ff. 

Tactual  sense,  The,  aesthetic  fitness  of,  265  ff. ;  Herder's  vindica- 
tion of,  265  ff. 

Tactual  terms,  metaphorical  application  of,  274  ff. 


INDEX  317 

Taste,  Hebbel's  allusions  to  impressions  of,  15. 

Temperature  qualities,  268,  270,  271,  291,  292  ff. 

Terminology,  a  word  regarding,  26. 

Thirst,  as  an  organic  sensation,  270,  272,  273  (footnote). 

Tieck,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  12,  37  (footnote)  ;  his  color  usage 

compared  with  Hebbel's,  76   (footnote),  111;  his  influence 

upon  Hebbel,  11,  12. 
Touch,  as  a  specific  function  of  the  tactual  sense,  269;  in  Heb- 

bel's  poetry  (see  under  Tactual). 
Tragic  guilt,  Hebbel's  theory  of,  33  ff. 

Uhland,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  39  (footnote);  his  influence  upon 
Hebbel,  11,  12,  57,  86. 

Verbal  sound  effects  in  poetry,  Hebbel's  attitude  toward,  160  ff. 
Visual  data,  in  the  works  of  poets,  78  ff. 

Vocal  demonstration,  biblical  allusions  to,  191 ;  Hebbel's  recourse 
to,  191. 

Weight,  as  an  impression  of  the  tactual  sense,  270,  272,  291. 

Weltanschauung,  Hebbel's,  31. 

Werdende,  Das,  55,  59. 

Werner,  Richard  Maria,  3,  4,  6. 

White,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  125  ff. 

Wieland,  Hebbel's  criticism  of,  37  (footnote),  45. 

Winckelmann,  Goethe's  appreciation  of,  56. 

Yellow,  Hebbel's  allusions  to,  131. 

Zustdnde,  the  vital  element  in  lyric  poetry,  53. 


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